LAHORE: The central executive committee of the Muttahida Mahaz Asatiza Punjab will meet here on We dnes day (today) to de cide future course of action in the wake of the `cold` response of the government to their peaceful protest.

A decision to the effect was taken by the Mahaz central leaders Rana Sultan Mahmood, Kashif Shahzad and Sharif Shahid after their release on bail from Camp Jail on Tuesday.

Mahaz Chairman Tariq Mahmood told newsmen outside the jail that the core committee would discuss the possibilities to expand the scope of the teachers` protest.

`The core committee will take decisions whether or not to lock up educational institutions and offices and other extreme steps,` said Mr Mahmood.

`Education has never been on the priority list of the successive governments and the bureaucracy continues to conduct experiments in the sector on the basis of policies framed by it at the behest of `alien` experts who are quite unaware of ground realities inPakistan. When these policies fail, only teachers and their bodies are held responsible.

`Ironically, teachers are produced in handcuffs before courts for merely protesting in a peaceful manner for their just demands. A model accused of money laundering is brought to the court with full protocol,` regretted Mr Mahmood.

Mahaz Central Secretary General Kashif Shahzad said the chief minister had over a year ago approved a summary to regularise the services of contract-based teachers and a notification was also issued in this regard that was never implemented.

He said some 3,000 posts of teachers from BS-17 to BS-20 had been lying vacant for the last one-and-a-half years in the province. But, the education department high-ups were not holding the meeting to consider and decide the over-due promotion cases of teachers, he added.

`Posts of headmasters in some 1,300 schools are also lying vacant while implementation on the pay and promotion package for another 13,000 teachers is also being delayed,` he said.Pakistan. When these policies fail, only teachers and their bodies are held responsible.

`Ironically, teachers are produced in handcuffs before courts for merely protesting in a peaceful manner for their just demands. A model accused of money laundering is brought to the court with full protocol,` regretted Mr Mahmood.

Mahaz Central Secretary General Kashif Shahzad said the chief minister had over a year ago approved a summary to regularise the services of contract-based teachers and a notification was also issued in this regard that was never implemented.

He said some 3,000 posts of teachers from BS-17 to BS-20 had been lying vacant for the last one-and-a-half years in the province. But, the education department high-ups were not holding the meeting to consider and decide the over-due promotion cases of teachers, he added.

`Posts of headmasters in some 1,300 schools are also lying vacant while implementation on the pay and promotion package for another 13,000 teachers is also being delayed,` he said.