Solidarity expressed with ICU teachers as protest continues

PESHAWAR: The teachers and students of different universities in the provincial metropolis and elsewhere in the province Thursday expressed solidarity with the protesting teachers of the Islamia College Peshawar.

They urged the government to probe the matter and accept the genuine demands of the teaching staff. Separate demonstrations were arranged at different universities against the torture of protesting teachers by police allegedly at the behest of Islamia College University administration.

The delegations of the teaching staff and other associations of different universities, as well as the students, visited Islamia College University. They assured full support to the teaching staff of the university. Speaking at the protest camp in the university, president, Teaching Staff Association of Islamia College University, Dr Dilnawaz Khan Khattak said that they would continue the boycott of academic and research activities in the university till acceptance of their demands. Renewing his demands, he sought immediate removal of the acting vice-chancellor Dr Naushad Khan, suspension of the police’s station house officer responsible allegedly for torturing the teachers, and a judicial inquiry to look into the alleged financial embezzlement and recruitment made during the last five years.

He flayed Federal Minister Fawad Chaudry and some provincial ministers who, he believed, refused to meet the teachers during their visit to the university. Meanwhile, president Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba Shafiqur Rahman condemned the police action against the protesting teachers.

The members of the student organization also staged a protest demonstration in support of the protesting teachers. In a statement, Shafiqur Rahman demanded of Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of the incident and award punishment to the officials involved teachers manhandling.