Police thrash teachers, dismantle protest camp

LAHORE: Police on Tuesday morning forcibly dispersed college teachers from their protest camp outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat.

The teachers alleged that the police attacked the protest camp and thrashed the protesting teachers to disperse them.

Dozens of teachers from public sector colleges had been observing the sit-in outside the secretariat for the last 37 days demanding pay and service protection. The teachers said those who were regularised in the past were facing pay deduction. They claimed that the government had assured to resolve the issue but to no avail.

Pay and Service Protection Committee convener Prof Ch Ghulam Murtaza and others addressing a press conference condemned the police action against peaceful teachers and demanded the government resolve the issue at the earliest. They warned of academic boycott in public colleges of Punjab.

Meanwhile, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) Punjab Chapter also announced observing Black Day in universities across Punjab on Thursday in support of college teachers of Punjab. FAPUASA Punjab President Prof Dr Azhar Naeem, General Secretary Prof Dr Hafiz Muhammad Tahir, Vice-President Dr Ahtisham Ali, General Secretary PUASA Dr Amjad Abbas Khan Magsi and others observed that FAPUASA Punjab stood by the college cadre teachers for their legitimate right of pay protection.