MANSEHRA: The Hazara University’s Academic Staff Association has warned that if its members weren’t promoted, they would boycott classes and stage street protests.

       “The Hazara University doesn’t have a promotion policy for its staff members, so its more than 300 teachers haven’t been promoted for decades,” association president Dr Shahzad told a meeting on campus here the other day.

       Most faculty members attended the meeting and unanimously adopted a resolution demanding of the Higher Education Commission to approve the draft of basic pay scale statutes before the end of the term of the federal government on August 12.

       “The HEC examined the draft basic pay scale statutes for the first time in December 2021 to ensure promotions of faculty staff, but there has been no progress on it,” Dr Shahzad said.

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       Complain not promoted for ‘decades’

       He said representatives of his association, Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association and All Pakistan Teachers Association recently took up the issue with chairman of the National Assembly committee Qadir Mandokhel, who ordered the draft’s approval in seven days but that hadn’t taken place yet.

       Assistant Professor Sajidul Ghafoor said he and around 300 faculty members had joined the HU 16 years ago in BPS-19 but got no promotion thereafter.

       He said hundreds of assistant professors quit Hazara University for better jobs and wages in recent years as the environment in the university was unfriendly for highly-qualified professionals.

       PROTESTS PLANNED: Chairmen of the village and neighbourhood councils on Friday decided to begin street protests against high inflation.

       “As inflation has hit record high, we [local body members] will take to the streets against it,” chairman of the village council Bashiruddin Tanoli told a meeting of the heads of village and neighbourhood councils.

       The participants resented the recent increase in petroleum prices.

       Mr Tanoli, who is a former tehsil deputy chairman of Mansehra, said local bodies were the only elected forum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

       “The successive governments deprived local bodies of development funds, honorariums and office funds in a bid to fail them, so we’ll protect people’s rights,” he said.

       The participants unanimously adopted a resolution demanding of the government to withdraw the recent increase in petroleum prices, and control sugar and flour rates.

       Chairman of the Safdar village council Basharat Ali Swati said sugar and flour prices had reached the highest level in recent days to the misery of the people amid the government’s tall claims of reviving the economy.

       He and another council chairman, Abdul Qayyum, said the meeting decided to schedule protest rallies and meetings after consultation with lawyers and traders.

       “We are also in contact with lawyers, traders and other unions, and invited them to join us in our street protests against price hike,” Mr Swati said.

       Published in Dawn, Aug 5th, 2023