Professors, lecturers demand pay, service protection

Rawalpindi : Hundreds of professors and lecturers of government colleges on Saturday came out on roads in a rally and protested for pay and service protection. The angry protesters blocked both sides of Murree Road in support of their demands threatening to stage a ‘sit-in’ in front of the Parliament House along with their families in next phase.

Traffic on Murree Road remained suspended for a long time due to the protest demonstration. A heavy contingent of police was present all around to control law and order situation.

The rally which was organised by Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) started from Government Gordon College to Rawalpindi Press Club. The protesters carried banners and placards in their hands raising slogans against government.

Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) Conveners Chaudhry Ghulam Murtaza and Professor Zulfiqar Ali Rana led the protest rally. They strongly criticized government policies against professors and lecturers. The future of over 6,000 professors and lecturers was on a stake in Punjab but the government was not paying heed to their demands, they said.

They said that the education system has literally collapsed due to the absence of pay and service protection of teachers in the country. There is great respect of teachers in all other countries but we are wandering here and there on roads for our genuine rights, they denounced. They said that in April 2019, Minister for Higher Education Raja Hamayun Sarfaraz had accepted their demands in written form and promised to implement them but in vain. The present government is only doing lip service, they strongly denounced.

Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) President Malik Muhammad Ramzan Guru and representatives of Ittehad Usataza including Professor Ghulam Mustafa, Professor Zahid Awan, Professor Sahibzada Ahmed Nadeem, Professor Tousif Sadiq, Prof Hafiz Ramazan, Dr Sher Muhammad Gondal, Prof Dr Tariq, Professor Sajid Ali, Professor Malik Irshad, Dr Khurshid Azam, Prof Shoib Butt, and Prof Ishtiaq participated in the protest rally.

Several other speakers in their speeches said that federal and provincial employees in the country are on the roads for their rights but PTI government is not doing anything for them. The protest demonstrations would continue till acceptance of their demands, they warned.