UoP employees hint at calling off strike

PESHAWAR: A series of talks finally started bearing results as the protesting employees of the University of Peshawar (UoP) on Thursday hinted at calling off their prolonged strike and duty-boycott provided the university administration resolved the issues that come under its domain.

For the purpose, the university administration has agreed to convene a meeting of the syndicate on Tuesday next. “We hope the syndicate in its emergency meeting will address the concerns of the protesting employees after which we would call off our strike and return to our duties,” said Dr Mohammad Uzair, president, Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) and chairman of the Joint Action Committee.

He said the talks were in progress for the last eight to 10 days. The former employees of the university Prof Dr Ihsan Ali, Prof Dr Noor Jehan, Prof Dr Farooq Swati, a former police officer Syed Akhtar Ali Shah on behalf of Higher Education Department and Dr Yurid Ahsan Zia and Dr Syed Fazle Hadi from the university administration played a role in reaching a consensus to resolve the issue.

The protesting employees were adamant on removal of the vice-chancellor while the latter did not agree to hold negotiations with them and wanted their unconditional return to duties. Those engaged in the reconciliation process convinced both the sides to have talks and step back from their static positions. Thus a 30 to 32-point demand list of the protesting employees was worked out and assurance was made to address them all.

Several of the demands came under the domain of the provincial government and the chancellor’s office about which the protesting employees were given assurance of resolution at the earliest.

About the demands pertaining to the removal of the vice-chancellor and formation of judicial commission into inquiry of Saqlain Bangash’s killing, it was decided that the KP government would constitute a high-powered inquiry committee, which would look into all the allegations of corruption and irregularities against the vice-chancellor.

About other demands, the vice-chancellor would issue orders to resolve them. One such “office-order” regarding 15 percent adhoc relief to the protesting employees along with their April, 2023 salary was issued the other day.

The remaining demands such as issuance of no-objection certificates to the university teachers for study abroad and within the country, advertising vacant positions, release of salaries to PUTA members and others, an emergency meeting would be convened and all these issues would be resolved.

“Once, the assurances made during the talks are implemented, we will call off our strike,” Dr Uzair said. Normalcy would return to the university by Tuesday or Wednesday next, said Dr Zafar, media secretary of the PUTA.

However, soon after the end of the strike and resumption of duties by the teaching and non-teaching employees, the university would close again on account of Eid holidays. Meanwhile, the hearing into the writ petition filed by Islami Jamiat Talaba about the waste of the time of the students due to class-boycott was adjourned until April 20.

But the protesting employees hoped things would settle down before the next hearing into the petition by the court. The teaching and non-teaching of the university had gone on a strike and duty-boycott on March 8 after the killing of a security advisor, Saqlain Bangash, at the hands of a private security guard on the university campus.

The protestors initially demanded sacking of the vice-chancellor, cleansing of the university of arms, psychological examination of the security employees and end to adhocism. Later, they issued a white paper against the vice-chancellor and levelled allegations against the vice-chancellor. The university has remained closed for more than a month due to the duties’ boycott and strike.

Meanwhile, the university administration made efforts to run the university affairs somehow by engaging former employees and PhD scholars and get benefits from the services of the heads of demands who were supporting the vice-chancellor but to no avail.