LAHORE: Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) Punjab has condemned police action against university teachers and employees protesting against salary cuts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
In a statement, FAPUASA Punjab president Dr Abdul Sattar and general secretary Dr Ahtisham Ali condemned KPK police for using baton-charge and teargas against the peaceful protest of university teachers in Peshawar. They lamented that the government, which claimed to have improved basic and higher education, violated its charter by torturing the university teachers and staff.
They said for the last several years, the government had kept the budget for higher education and research frozen instead of increasing it, which led to severe financial crisis in universities across Pakistan in general and universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular.
Dr Abdul Sattar Malik and Dr Ahtisham Ali warned that if all the arrested leaders of FAPUASA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were not release and no clear plan of action was given to solve the problems facing the universities, the protest would be extended to the whole country.
Reports indicate that they tried to breach one of gates, harassed staff, and even scaled walls of premises
Nasir praised role of Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi, who controlled situation with tolerance
A fierce exchange of fire ensued, but culprits managed to escape under cover of darkness
Police said booked leaders and BYC workers gathered at main Turbat Chowk
Mobile internet outages became common fixtures during protests by PTI since Imran was ousted in 2022
Bokhari emphasised that cases have been registered against "Fasadis", and no one will be spared
