THE saying of great thinker Ibn Khaldun that … a society not recognising knowledge and respecting its learned people is bound to face decline … is [very applicable to] … our society. Teachers took to the streets in Chichawatni the other day to protest against the treatment meted out to a colleague at the hands of a returning officer. … Teachers [protested] … when the returning officer ordered the handcuffing of Government College lecturer Azhar Iqbal … and asked police to beat him. … When people associated with the judiciary take the law into their own hands and humiliate teachers it will have very negative effects on society.

There’s no denying that election days have always been a tense period for the nation. … However, election arrangements remained a hurried activity. Even in several areas of Lahore, presiding officers were summoned at 7am a day before polling day. Without food and water they had to wait the whole day and the process to hand over (election) material began at 8pm and continued till 4am on polling day … several presiding officers had to perform election duty after having a sleepless night.

No doubt the onus on returning officers was greater. … But does it behove (the returning officers) to insult teachers in return? The minimum qualification of presiding officers was a Master’s and several of them hold PhDs … but they had to carry ballot boxes and other material on their shoulders [due to] … the absence of proper arrangements. …

Warrants for arrest were issued for teachers who were behind schedule by a few minutes. ... And in this backdrop, the unfortunate incident took place. Handcuffing a presiding officer for the ‘audacious act’ … and subjecting him to humiliation [cannot] be justified. … The incident speaks volumes, reflecting the status … a teacher has in our society.—(May 16)

Selected and translated by Zaheer Mahmood Siddiqui.