LARKANA: District and Sessions Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kalhoro had to intervene to settle a row between the management and faculty of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) as the boycott of academic activities at the institution and all its affiliated colleges continued for the 15th day on Monday.

The judge hosted a three-hour-long round of talks between the two sides in his chamber. The university’s registrar, Prof Dr Afsar Bhutto, Chandka Medical College (CMC) principal Prof Dr K. Das and Prof Dr Hakim Abro represented the management while the protesting faculty was represented by Dr Abdul Rasheed Shaikh, Sabir Hussain Junejo, Faheem Khuhawar, Dr Mahesh Kumar and Dr Inayat Magsi at the negotiations.

The teachers’ association had given a call for the boycott to press the institution and provincial government to accept their demands which included promotion of teachers to higher grades pleading that many of them had been waiting for their promotion for 30 years, disbursement of pension to entitled teachers, medical facilities, leave encashment, start of MPhil and PhD classes and certain other facilities at a par with those being enjoyed by their counterparts in other universities of the country.

The association presented its 12-point charter of demands to the judge and said it had already been submitted to the Sindh Higher Education Commission and other authorities concerned for consideration. They informed the judge the charter was conveyed to the Sindh chief minister by the Federal Association of Public Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa), which had discussed it on Feb 8.

Justice Kalhoro asked the university representatives to produce the notification regarding resolution of the problems of teachers’ association. He also asked some questions from the teachers’ representatives, who informed the judge that they would come up with replies on Tuesday after consulting the general body.

Meanwhile, teachers continued their boycott of academic activities at the CMC, Ghulam Mohammed Mahar Medical College (Sukkur) and Benazir Institute of Nursing on Monday.

They held demonstrations in all affiliated colleges and raised slogans. It was learnt that a couple of days ago, a team of professors on a directive of the SMBBMU vice chancellor had held negotiations with leaders of the protesting doctors.

The team told them that the VC wanted them to call off the protest as a precondition to start a dialogue on their issues. However, according to sources, the teachers rejected the precondition.

The impasse, the sources said, prompted Justice Kalhoro to intervene in the matter and mediate a settlement.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2018