MUZAFFARABAD, Sept 12: Around four dozens women, annoyed over the alleged violation of merit in the recent recruitment of primary teachers, staged a unique demonstration in the hometown of Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Friday, throwing eggs and tomatoes at the local education department office to register their protest, witnesses said.

As the protesters reached the office of deputy district education officer in Dhirkot, some 55 kilometres south of here, a large contingent of police intercepted them, though the entire education department staff had already left to avert their ire.

After an altercation with the police, the infuriated protesters pelted tomatoes and eggs at the education department office amid bitter slogans against the prime minister as well as the “corrupt education department officials.”

Similar chants were also inscribed on several placards which the protesters were carrying. “Killer of merit: prime minister,” read one of the placards.

Earlier, the female protesters also took a round of Dhirkot bazaar in what the locals said was first ever demonstration of women in the town. They were also accompanied by male political activists and members of civil society.

“Sardar Attique government has compelled us to come on the roads by resorting to slaughter of merit. This will not auger well for his government,” said one protester. She said she held a master’s degree but a less qualified girl had been given preference either due to nepotism or political considerations or bribery.

Another protestor warned that prime minister's cavalcade may also receive tomatoes and eggs if the “controversial appointments were not nullified.”

“Sardar Attique frequently travels through this route to his residence. If today education department is pelted with eggs and tomatoes, tomorrow his cavalcade can also receive similar treatment,” she said.

The protesters called upon the government to immediately cancel the “out of merit” appointments or else a serious law and order situation could emerge in the region. “We will go to the last extent. We will challenge the sale of merit in the courts of law and also on the streets,” said Raja Sajjad Ahmed, leader of main opposition People’s Muslim League (JKPML) which had organised a protest demonstration on this issue on September 5.

A day after the last Friday demonstration, a news item was released by the official quarters to a section of the vernacular press, stating that the prime minister had ordered annulment of all controversial appointments after Raja Iftikhar Ayub, a ruling Muslim Conference leader from Dhirkot, had drawn his attention towards violation of merit in the recruitment process.

However, secretary education Khan Bahadur Abdullah later issued a clarification that the department had constituted a committee to look into the complaints against the recruitment process.

It may be mentioned that complaints of non-transparent recruitment of primary teachers have also started pouring in from other areas of AJK.