THATTA, Feb 19: Traffic on the Badin-Karachi Highway remained suspended for over four hours as hundreds of schoolteachers staged a sit-in on the Doolaha Darya Khan Bridge on the River Indus on Thursday to protest against blockades imposed on their passage by the police.

Hundreds of teachers affiliated with the Primary Teachers Association and the Government School Teachers Association who were heading for Karachi to join their colleagues in a protest demonstration to be held in front of the Chief Minister House blocked the highway by staging a sit-in when they were stopped from proceeding onwards by the Sujawal police.

Speaking to a large crowd, PTA district president Ghulam Qadir Baghi alleged that Provincial Minister for Education Irfanullah Marwat had proved to be a liability as he was plundering money by imposing his own strategies and orders.

He said that the teachers would continue their struggle until their genuine demands - 25 per cent quota for teachers' children in the department, revise of pay scale, advance increments and selection grade - were accepted.

The situation became sensitive when a funeral procession arrived at the spot followed by Colonel Aamir of the Pakistan Army who, however, helped restore the traffic and allow the protesters to pass through.

When the teachers reached the Karachi-Hyderabad bypass, the Thatta police blocked the teachers' way who again staged a sit-in which resulted in another traffic blockade.

Later, the protesters were allowed to take a u-turn back to their homes. However, the police arrested the district presidents, all taluka presidents and general secretaries of the PTA and the GSTA.

LOAD-SHEDDING: Hundreds of enraged citizens of Mirpur Bathoro taluka took to the streets early on Thursday to protest against unscheduled power breakdowns for the last two weeks.

Holding lanterns, torches and raising slogans against the authorities of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company, the citizens converged at a bus stand and blocked the main road by setting ablaze tyres besides staging a sit-in.

Speakers accused the local Hesco staff of covering line losses and their practice of receiving illegal gratification.