GENERAL APPEAL (Pakistan): Ban on Teachers’ Union in Sindh province and brutal crackdown on demonstrating teachers

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]

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PAKISTAN: Violation of freedom of expression & right to assembly and association; privatization of the government schools; brutal repression on the demonstrators; un-rule of law
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a ban on teachers’ unions imposed by the Sindh provincial government on 21 July 2006. Since then, at least 34 teachers were reportedly sent on forced leave and their salaries have been discontinued.  A further 150 teachers are allegedly being threatened with dismissal by the Sindh government. We were also informed that during the protest against the imposing ban on August 22, about 50 teachers were arrested and a dozen others were injured by the police who attacked protesters with teargas and batons. The Sindh government further suppresses the teachers constantly protesting against the ban. It is reported that the purpose of the ban on the teacher unions is actually related to the privatization of the government schools. All the lessons at the schools and colleges in Sindh have stopped as teachers are demonstrating.

On 21 July 2006, a notification issued by the education department of the Sindh provincial government effectively banned all forms of unions formed by its employees. Accordingly, unions for teachers of government-run educational institutions along with those under the district governments have become illegal. Through this notification, more than 400,000 teaching staff of Sindh province are estimated to be deprived of their fundamental rights of association and assembly as well as the freedom of expression, opinion and speech. The Sindh government has banned teachers associations in governmental education institutions but the teachers under city district governments and the Pakistan federal government are still allowed to work freely. This shows the personnel vendetta of the Sindh government. Except for the Sindh provincial government, the Pakistan federal government and other provincial governments have not banned teachers’ associations.

The ban on the teachers’ association activities is in clear violation of Article 16, 17, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees and protects citizens’ freedom of association and assembly, freedom of speech and expression and non discrimination.  In addition, this violates the standard of the Charter of the United Nations to which Pakistan is a member. This ban is a means to further weaken the position of teachers who are already working in deplorable conditions. It is very disappointing that the Pakistan government, which was elected as one of the members to the UN Human Rights Council in May 2006, allows violations of such fundamental rights of citizens rather than taking genuine action to protect those rights. It is also shameful that the Pakistan government has yet to ratify several major international conventions including the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

On August 22, about 2,000 teachers of the Sindh Employees Alliance, in which all the unions of teachers in Sindh are united, held a protest in front of the Karachi Press Club in order to cry out against the government’s ban on the teachers’ unions. However, the provincial government and police taken strong action and attacked the teachers with teargas and batons and arrested more than 45 teachers, also injuring at least 6 teachers. During the demonstration, the teachers demanded the removal of the ban on all union activities. However, the Sindh provincial minister for education Hameeda Khoro has reportedly announced that any disruption in the functions of the school will result in serious consequences.

Besides this, when about 50 teachers, who participated in the protest, were returning to their areas by bus on the same day, the bus was hit by a truck which resulted in the death of two teachers and injuries to several other teachers.  The accident occurred near Badin, some 350 km from Karachi. Teaches suspect that this was not a simple accident but a planned attack on the teachers to kill them or give a strong warning signal to the whole teachers’ community. They testified that most of the passengers in the bus were teachers and that the truck driver seemed to have intentionally crashed into the bus. They also said that despite the fact that it was a serious accident that resulted in death and serious injuries, the truck driver was, very strangely, not injured seriously. The teachers then tried to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) of murder against Sindh government officials including the provincial minister of education government of Sindh with the Golarchi police station on 25 August 2006 but the police refused to register it. They contacted several other higher ranking police officers to lodge the report but failed. They then appealed to the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court to direct the police to file the case according to their report.

On August 24, teaching in many of the colleges and schools throughout the whole of the Sindh province were suspended in response to a call to observe a black day against the ban. On this day, the teachers also demanded the release of all teachers detained on August 22.

Meanwhile, Sindh provincial government has announced that they are dismissing 150 school teachers, lecturers and professors for violating the notification of banning the associations of teachers.  At least 34 teachers reportedly received “forced leave letters” till August 22 that also disconnected their salaries. It is also alleged that the Sindh police has begun hunting the teachers and even arrested some family members of wanted teachers in exchange for their arrests. In addition, about half a dozen students supporting the protest by the teachers have been reportedly arrested.

All the teachings at the schools and colleagues in Sindh have been stopped as teachers are in demonstration against the ban and brutal repression by the provincial government.  In the meantime, 27 teachers, who were arrested on August 22, were reportedly released on bail, granted by the judicial magistrate, South. The majority of the teachers belonged to the interior of Sindh.  However, the rest of the arrested teachers are still being detained.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

In Sindh province, the majority of the schools, colleges and universities are government-run schools, while some other educational institutions are under supervision of the federal government. In 1972, the schools and colleges were nationalized and there was no ban on teachers’ associations. The teachers’ associations are generally working for the welfare of their members and for better and progressive educational environment. They also work as watch dogs against the interference of government officers and law enforcement agencies to make education benefits to all.

The ban on the Teachers’ unions is a brutal process of privatization of educational institutions in Pakistan. In general, the premises of educational institutions occupy high prices of large lands, which are state owned land. According to the local groups, since the induction of General Musharaf’s government in late 1999, the ministers and officials have consciously attempted to privatize (sell out) the educational institutions so that the government can sell the lands at a high price.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant authorities listed below and demand the removal of the ban on the teachers’ unions and strict disciplinary/legal action against the officials that used brutal violence against the teachers. Please also urge them to ensure the immediate release of all arrested teachers.

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