|
Teachers follow students to form an action committee
LAHORE, Dec 14, 2007: Following footsteps of Students Action Committee (SAC), which is
organising anti-emergency and pro-judiciary events in and outside different
campuses of the City, young teachers from some schools, colleges and
universities have formed Teachers Action Committee (TAC) to launch a struggle
for restoration of judiciary in the country.
Teachers, under the TAC,
have vowed to raise their collective voice to protect and win the constitutional
freedoms of citizens especially teachers and students while inviting all
teachers to join them in this long struggle, a member of TAC said on
Thursday.
They (teachers) have also decided to organise different events
demanding immediate lifting of martial law, restoration of 2nd September
judiciary and Constitution, immediate release of all political prisoners,
lifting of all curbs on the media and free, fair and transparent elections, he
added.
TAC member added that after a couple of meetings, the teachers
from various schools, colleges and universities including the Punjab University
(PU), FAST-National University, Lahore Grammar School (LGS), Lahore University
of Management Sciences (LUMS), National College of Arts (NCA), Beaconhouse
National University (BNU), Lahore College of Arts & Sciences (LACAS), FC
College University and Government College University (GCU) unanimously decided
to form TAC on Thursday.
He also said students of colleges and
universities had united under the banner of Students Action Committee and were
successfully organising different events against suspension of Constitution.
However, there was a dire need of bringing teachers on a single platform, he
also added and stated maximum teachers would be mobilised under the banner of
TAC.
"The aim of TAC is to provide non-partisan forum where teachers can
discuss issues pertaining to their profession and their role in society too," he
claimed and maintained, "These issues include our education system, raising
voices against the illegal imposition of martial law and the brutal oppression
by state authorities to suppress any voices calling for the rule of law and
freedom of expression."
The TAC member further said the Teachers Action
Committee vehemently condemns the FIR lodged against 14 faculty members of the
Punjab University and demands that the state also withdraw cases against PU
faculty members as has already been done for LUMS faculty.
"We stand in
complete solidarity with our fellow academics and students who have been
subjected to harassment and intimidation," he said while adding, "We strongly
believe that safeguarding freedom of thought and expression is a fundamental
principle of our profession."
TAC also demands institutional
administrations to protect the constitutional rights of students and faculty, he
concluded.
It is pertinent to mention here that students from 21
different colleges and universities of the City while forming Students Action
Committee last month organised a number of anti-emergency and pro-judiciary
demonstrations.SAC had also organised a hunger strike camp outside Lahore Press
Club last Saturday against arrest of some students. The camp continued until
Tuesday when the arrested students were released. The News
|
