PESHAWAR, Jan 22: Ad hoc lecturers of Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday took out a procession on Sher Shah Suri Road against the delay in regularisation of their services by the government.

“We will continue the protest till the regularisation of our jobs. We will also observe hunger strikes and even commit self-immolation if our demands are not accepted,” threatened the annoyed lecturers, while talking to reporters outside the Peshawar Press Club.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with different demands, dozens of male and female lecturers of different colleges of settled and tribal areas shouted slogans in favour of their demands.

Provincial ad hoc lecturers association’s (Pala) president Qazi Zafar Iqbal, senior vice president Iqbal Shakir, general secretary Jamil Ahmad, president Fata ad hoc lecturers association (Fala) Amjad Jahangir and general secretary Ihsan Dawar were leading the protesters. They criticised the government for failure to resolve their issues.

Qazi Zafar Iqabal said during 2010 and 2011 more than 34,000 candidates, including male and female teachers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, appeared in the test for the posts of lecturers. He added 520 successful candidates were appointed lecturers in various colleges.

The Pala president said time and again the lecturers had requested the provincial government to regularise their services but to no avail. Similarly, he lamented that the teachers had not been paid their salaries for the last four months.

Fala president Amjad Jahangir said 138 male and 119 female lecturers had been performing their duties on ad hoc basis despite worse law and order situation in Fata.

They appealed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar and Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti to regularise them.