LAHORE, Aug 1: School and college teachers continued their agitation campaign on Thursday, holding the seventh protest convention at Government Islamia College, Civil Lines.

The teachers were joined in a protest march for the campus to the district courts intersection on the Lower Mall. The government was asked to withdraw the notifications allowing denationalization of educational institutions and constitution of board of governors for schools and colleges.

The protesters wearing black arm bands blocked traffic for about 15 minutes before dispersing peacefully.

Earlier speaking at the protest meeting at Islamia College, Joint Action Committee of Teachers, Punjab, president Nazim Hasnain said he would rather die than abandon the cause of students, teachers and education.

Mr Hasnain condemned the police violence against teachers, particularly women. The government, he said, should be ashamed of such actions. The general public, he said, had started supporting the teachers’ movement against denationalization of educational institutions. Teachers from Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP, too, had announced their support for the cause of teachers in the Punjab. He said black day had been observed in other provinces as well.

Mr Hasnain said he had received a letter from District Nazim Amer Mahmood inviting him to a meeting to discuss and resolve the issue. The JACTP delegation, he said, would meet the Nazim not to negotiate but to convey their point of view. The Nazim, he said, lacked authority to withdraw the notifications. He said the JACTP would discuss the matter with the Punjab governor.

Mr Hasnain criticized the courts saying they took suo motu actions while watching their own interests but no judge had bothered to act after police violence against women teachers.

He said protest meetings and rallies would continue to be held on every Monday and Thursday. Protests were also planned in various parts of the province on other days.

He said a seminar on denationalization would be held at Lahore Press Club on Friday and the next protest convention at Government MAO College on Monday.

Former Punjab Professors and Lecturers’ Association president Rana Asghar Ali said free education for masses was a constitutional responsibility of the government. He said it was strange that teachers were being tortured by the police while the Punjab governor had proceeded to umra. He demanded that the government should suspend the Cantonment SP and the DSP who supervised the police action on Monday.

Prof Arif, Saeed Ahmad, Shumaila Asad, Rashid Daud, Shakira Naheed, Jan-i-Alam Khan, Salahuddin Kharal, Malik Ehsan, Azam Butt and Rana Liaquat Ali also spoke on the occasion.