Balochistan schoolteachers continued to demonstrate outside the provincial assembly on the eighth day of their hunger strike in an effort to draw attention to their demands. The eleven teachers went on a hunger strike to pressure the administration to comply with their 22-point demands, which prominently included promotion.
A prominent member of the Government Teachers Association Balochistan (GTAB), Muhammad Siddique Mashwani, emphasized the need for justice and equal rights for teachers in other provinces. Mashwani expressed anger that despite repeated requests, the government had not responded to their requests for promotion.
According to Mashwani, the promotion will help about 30,000 junior teachers in Balochistan. There were significant traffic delays as a sizable group of teachers and representatives from various associations gathered outside the assembly building to support the ongoing protest.
The President of GTAB, Habibur Rehman Mardanzai, emphasized that the upgrade of 30,000 teachers was their main demand. Mardanzai issued a stern warning, stating that the protest would get worse if the government continued to ignore their complaints.
When visiting the protest camp, provincial ministers and assembly members gave the teachers assurances that their issues would be resolved. The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) lawmaker Arif Jan Muhammad Hassani openly backed the teachers’ demands and pleaded with the government to take the ongoing strike seriously.
Two teachers who were on the hunger strike needed immediate medical attention inside the camp because their health started to deteriorate. An ambulance was stationed nearby to handle any potential emergencies.
GTAB has filed a complaint, highlighting the discrepancies between junior teachers being promoted in other regions of the nation while having their rights denied in Balochistan.
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