LARKANA, Feb 3: The fate of 860 ad-hoc lecturers in Sindh, whose extension period had expired on Jan 31, 2008, hangs in the balance as the Sindh government has delayed their regularisation.

The members of the ad-hoc lecturers association on Sunday protesting the delay set up a token hunger strike camp outside the press club and announced to boycott all election duties.

Mohammed Chhuttal Bozdar, Zulfikar Kolachi, Ibrahim Lashari and others said that 860 lecturers had been appointed as presiding officers for the elections and they had decided to boycott the assignments if the notification of their regularisation was not issued.

The salaries of the lecturers had been stopped in the absence of fresh term of extension for six months, they said.

The ad-hoc lecturers’ body had recently met the caretaker Sindh education minister who had recommended to the secretary to prepare a summary for Sindh chief minister to issue the regularisation notification.

The minister on their application had put a note that ‘we should review their cases and recommend’, the lecturers said and alleged that despite the clear-cut instructions the secretary education had erected hindrances in their case.

These lecturers were appointed on six month ad hoc basis in year 2005-2006.