HYDERABAD, March 29 The Pakistan Human Rights Development Organisation demanded on Sunday dismissal of the chairmen and controllers of examinations of the boards of intermediate and secondary education of Hyderabad and Karachi for mismanagement of and use of unfair means in examinations.

The NGO's president Ghulam Haider Arain, vice-president Mumtaz Ahmed and other office-bearers said at a news conference that the organisation had received authentic reports about malpractices in the examinations and bribery and sifarish.

Mr Arain cited reports of a fake examination centre in Karachi and Memon Anjuman high school and Saint Mary's high school at Tilak Incline Hyderabad as proofs for his claims. He said that question papers could not be distributed among students on time and many students did not receive papers at all due to shortage in the Memon Anjuman high school on March 27.

The examiners did not give supplementary copies neither gave extra time to students to cover up for the delay, he said and demanded action against all the persons responsible for the mismanagement.

HUNGER STRIKE A large number of junior teachers under the banner of Teachers Action Forum Hyderabad held a token hunger strike outside the press club on Sunday in protest against non-payment of salary for seven months.

They said that ghost teachers were regularly getting salaries but the government was not prepared to pay to 206 junior teachers of the district who were performing their duties diligently.

They warned that if they took extreme step, the responsibility would rest on the government.