Karachi police stop primary teachers' march to CM House; protesters detained

A protest by primary school teachers from different districts of Sindh turned tense in Karachi on Wednesday, when police stopped demonstrators from marching toward the Chief Minister's House. Minute Mirror reported that police used tear gas and a water cannon. Express News reported water cannon, baton charges and shelling.

The protest was organised by the Primary School Teachers Association and began as a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club. The teachers later tried to move toward the chief minister's official residence. Several protesters were detained during the operation, and Express News reported that those held were later released. Several teachers were injured and one was taken to hospital, according to Express News.

Several roads around the Press Club were closed to vehicles. Traffic police said Sir Syed Road was shut and traffic was diverted toward Aiwan-e-Sadr Road and Zainab Market. Minute Mirror reported that employees in nearby offices were disrupted.

The teachers' demands include restoration of their service structure and an upgrade in pay scales. They also want their service counted as permanent from the original appointment date, since the initial three-year contract period was not counted. They want transfers handled at district level rather than through the Sindh Secretariat, and the Cluster Hub Policy scrapped, along with the decision to merge smaller government schools into larger ones.

Shabina Khan of the Primary Teachers Association Hyderabad said teachers had been campaigning since August and the protest was not sudden, as 14 demands had already been given to the government. She said some primary teachers were in grades 9, 14 and 16, while high school teachers received promotion opportunities and regular DPC meetings. According to her, Education Minister Sardar Shah expressed on 5 October a wish to promote primary teachers up to grade 20, but a service structure had to come first.

Teacher Kausar alleged that police shelled teachers heavily and that association central president Ejaz Ali Chandio was detained. She said teachers would not return or reopen schools until their leadership was released and the demands progressed. Protesters also objected to the merger of the historic Firdous Primary School in Hyderabad into a higher secondary school.

After the detainees were released, protesters sat in a camp outside the Press Club with their leadership, and lawyers assured them of full support, Express News reported. The association said the protest would continue until the provincial government addressed its demands, and that it would not end the sit-in without a satisfactory response.