ISLAMABAD: Punjab government teachers have announced to end their protest at Bani Gala today (Sunday) after successful negotiations with the Islamabad deputy commissioner.
A day earlier, contractual teachers from 36 districts of Punjab converged on Bani Gala, near Prime Minister Imran Khan’s residence, in an effort to draw attention toward their demand of being made permanent employees.
After the negotiations, the federal administration has decided to release all arrested protesters. Their core committee chairman Qasim Bukhari informed that the Islamabad administration had assured them about the resolution of their demands.
“On the assurance of the Islamabad deputy commissioner (DC) becoming the mediator we are postponing the protest,” Bukhari said, adding, “We will start the protest again on one-day’s notice if demands are not accepted.”
He further said that the Punjab government had assured to make 14,000 contractual teachers permanent, however, no practical steps were taken in this regard.
Earlier, it was reported that school teachers were baton-charged and tear-gassed near the prime minister’s sprawling mansion in the federal capital. A subsequent protest by the teachers in the federal capital also led to a massive traffic jam.
The Islamabad Police barricaded the Bani Gala road. They attempted to stop the teachers, but when the teachers persisted, the police resorted to firing tear-gas at them and then baton-charging them.
