PESHAWAR, Dec 19: The Peshawar chapter of the All Teachers Association set up on Tuesday a two-day protest camp outside the press club here, demanding teaching allowance and increments to untrained teachers as announced in the federal budget.

Representatives of teachers from Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar districts took part in the protest and observed a token hunger strike. The association’s provincial president Muzamil Khan Tarnabi and action committee members Syed Amanullah Shah Bukhari, Sareer Ahmad Khan, Qari Saifullah Jan, Naveed Kamal Chamkani, Azizullah Khan, Abul Qasim Safi and Liaqat Ali were among the participants.

The protest is part of the teachers’ province-wide campaign to pressure the authorities over their demands.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tarnabi said the delay in payment of teaching allowance, increments to untrained teachers, elections of the association and other problems being faced by teachers had forced them to hold the protest.

He said representatives and members of the association would hold a two-day protest camp in the divisional headquarters of the province.

He said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had announced a 15 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees and a special package for teachers in the shape of the teaching allowance, but teachers of the NWFP were not being paid the promised allowances.

He said the-then provincial finance minister had promised in September that the teaching allowance would be paid within two months but the promise was yet to be honoured. Mr Tarnabi warned that the teachers’ association would stage a protest rally in Peshawar on Jan 16 if the government did not meet their demands.

He said the indifferent attitude of the provincial government had compelled them to take to the streets and hold protest rallies for their rights. He also demanded that the government increase the education budget and announce incentives for teachers.