Police Detain Teachers During Protest in Karachi Over Service Structure Demands

What Happened

On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, police in Karachi used water cannons, tear gas, and batons to disperse primary school teachers protesting near the Chief Minister’s House [1, 2]. The demonstrators, representing the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association (ASPTA), had staged a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club before attempting to march toward the CM House [1].

According to South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza, the protesters breached police barricades and pelted officials with stones, injuring one officer [3]. He stated that the administration had attempted to negotiate with education department officials beforehand, but the protesters were told they could not enter the Red Zone [3].

Reports on the number of detainees vary:

• The Express Tribune reported 42 men were detained [1].
• Dawn reported 38 people were detained [3].

Among those taken into custody were ASPTA central president Ijaz Ali Chandio (also referred to as Ghulam Rasool Mahar by Dawn) and general secretary Aijaz Ali Chandio [1, 3]. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) South Mahzor Ali stated that the detainees were being released after the Karachi Bar Association General Secretary, Arshad Shar, provided a guarantee that they would not protest inside the Red Zone again [1].

Who Is Affected

Primary school teachers from various Sindh districts participated in the demonstration, including those from Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Jacobabad, Mirpur Mathelo, Sukkur, and Shaheed Benazirabad [1].

The teachers presented 14 work-related demands to the government, including:

• Restoration of a formal service structure and upgrading of pay grades [1, 2].
• Counting service from the initial date of appointment, rather than excluding the first three-year contractual period [1].
• Decentralizing the biometric attendance and transfer systems, moving authority from the Sindh Secretariat back to district-level officers [1, 3].
• The withdrawal of the Cluster Hub Policy, which merges smaller government schools into larger institutions [1, 2].
• Preservation of the independent status of primary schools [1].

Teachers expressed concern that the current system limits career progression. Shabina Khan of the Hyderabad association noted that while high school teachers have regular Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs), many primary teachers remain in grade 9 despite 18 years of service [1]. Saima Khan, the association’s district vice president, stated that the cluster hub policy undermines the identity of primary schools [1].

Following the incident, traffic was diverted from Sir Syed Road and areas near the Karachi Press Club toward Aiwan-e-Sadr Road and Zainab Market [2, 3].