KARACHI: The protesting teachers on Tuesday have decided to continue sit-in outside the press club after police officers tortured them for marching towards Chief Minister House.
Despite being offered negotiation with commissioner and meeting with CM on Dec 28, the teachers have said that they will protest until their demands, related to making them permanent and raise in salaries, are met.
The march started from the mausoleum of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Bhit Shah on Dec 10, and after passing through various cities arrived at the KPC on Monday. The teachers were protesting for the fulfillment of a host of their demands, some of which were already agreed to by the provincial authorities.
As teachers arrived at the scheduled time at the Karachi Press Club and tried to proceed onwards, the police already deployed at all surrounding roads baton-charged them, fired tear gas shells and used water cannon, causing injuries to some protesting teachers.
During the police action, scores of the protesters were also detained. Earlier, the authorities concerned had invited the teachers for talks at the commissioner’s office where both the parties failed to agree on a resolution of the issues. Senior officials said that the teachers ‘compelled’ the police to take action as they were protesting in the Red Zone where such rallies have been banned by the provincial government.
The teachers’ leader said they have decided to hold a hunger strike at the KPC until their demands were fulfilled.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Liaquat Ali Jatoi condemned the police crackdown saying that the provincial government will face consequences if it failed to fulfill the legitimate demands of the teachers’.
Jatoi was accompanied for his press conference by PTI Vice President Sindh Sadaqat Ali Jatoi and party leaders Karim Ali Jatoi and Sardar Ashiq Ali Zour. They were speaking from Dadu’s Mehar Town.
Jatoi referred to the incident as “regrettable and unacceptable” and claimed that the “Sindhi people will never accept the torture inflicted on teachers”.
He added that it was “illegal” for the police to crack down on teachers who had been protesting for their legal rights in a peaceful manner.
Jatoi also regretted that the incident took place on the birth anniversary of the Quaid-e-Azam.
Police chief ‘extremely concerned’:
Sindh Police Inspector General (IG) AD Khowaja, also expressed “serious concern” over the use of violence by police in dispersing the teachers.
He directed Karachi police to avoid the undue use of force and coordinate with the organisers of the protests to avoid any unpleasant consequences.
He further stated in a press release that it was the duty of every citizen to respect the law and desist from unlawful assembly in accordance with Section 144 of the Criminal Procedures Code when imposed by the Home Department.