38 detained in Karachi as police baton-charge protesters headed towards CM House

Karachi witnessed a tense scene on Wednesday as police intervened in a protest by teachers heading towards the Chief Minister House. Thirty-eight individuals were detained following the police's use of tear gas and baton charges against the protesting teachers who had gathered outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC). The teachers, representing the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association, were in the city to present their demands for changes in the service structure, including delegating powers for transfers and postings to district officers.

The protest, which involved hundreds of teachers, saw participants chanting slogans and attempting to reach the CM House. However, their progress was halted when they neared Fawara Chowk, where police responded with baton charges and tear gas to push them back to the KPC. Adjoining roads were closed to traffic, according to a spokesperson for the traffic police.

South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza revealed that the administration had attempted to resolve the matter through negotiations prior to the protest, offering to engage education department officials to facilitate a peaceful dialogue. Raza accused the protesters of turning "violent" and breaching police barricades, as well as pelting police personnel with stones, resulting in one official sustaining injuries.

The South police chief claimed that when the protesters crossed Kabir Masjid on Governor House Road, the situation escalated, prompting police to employ shelling to restore order. Of the 38 detained protesters, the president of the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association, Ghulam Rasool Mahar, and the general secretary, Aijaz Ali Chandio, were among those taken into custody.

Rafiq Nizamani, the vice president of the teachers' association, stated that in 2021, the Sindh government had implemented an "education policy" that excluded teacher promotions, causing dissatisfaction among the protesters. Despite assurances from the government, their demands for a revised service structure and the delegation of powers for posting teachers to district officials remained unmet.

Nizamani also mentioned that the teachers decided to set up a protest camp outside the KPC, believing that talks with education officials were merely delaying tactics due to prior unfulfilled promises.