PoK teachers protest in Muzaffarabad, demand salary hike

Muzaffarabad [PoK], February 23 (ANI): Hundreds of teachers who have been protesting over their demand for a salary hike for the last one week, have intensified their protest on Tuesday in Muzaffarabad city of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Threatening to boycott all the government's duties including election work, hundreds of teachers took to the streets urging the government to fulfil their demands.
"This is our primary right. We want the hiked salaries. If not provided the schools will remain closed. We are king-makers as well as the destroyers of regimes. You will have a lot of difficulties if you do not listen to our demands. You will forget your general elections," said a protestor.
Threatening Imran Khan's government of serious consequences, one of the protestors added, "We will not only close the schools but will block the roads. No place will be left for the government to run away from this situation. We will boycott all the government's duties - including teaching, block works, election work, board work,".
"We will not resume our duties till our rights are met. This is not an illegal demand, we are demanding a rightful hike," said another protestor.
The protestors were shouting slogans for the hiked salary, "Sadda haq, itthe rakh", "What do we want? Up-gradation (in-salary)."
Meanwhile, heavy deployment the police baton-charged and used water cannons as well as lobbed teargas shell to disperse the protestors.
Last month, police resorted to using force and firing tear gas at the protesters after several teachers held a protest near Prime Minister Imran Khan's residence in Banigala to protest against the new regularisation policy of their department.
Up to 700 teachers from Punjab had reached Islamabad and decided to march on Khan's house to protest against the new policy, which regularises the jobs of only those teachers who pass the examination of Public Service Commission and clear the interviews.
The protesters viewed this policy as 'unjust' as they have been working in their departments on contract for several years. (ANI)