Teachers clash with police during protest outside Karachi Press Club

KARACHI: The protest staged by the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association outside the Karachi Press Club turned tense on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026 when police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse demonstrators attempting to march toward the Chief Minister's House, detaining several protesters. Representing the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association, primary school teachers from various districts of Sindh staged a sit-in outside the press club before attempting to march toward the Chief Minister's House to press for their long-standing employment demands. Police personnel blocked their way and launched an operation to disperse the crowd. Tear gas shells and a water cannon were used, with the action also affecting employees working in nearby offices. Following the police operation, roads around the Karachi Press Club and Sir Syed Road were closed to traffic. According to traffic police, vehicles were diverted toward Aiwan-e-Sadr Road and Zainab Market. The protesting teachers demanded the restoration of their service structure and the upgrading of their pay grades, claiming that several years had passed without the promised improvements. They also called for permanent employment status retroactive to their initial appointment dates and demanded changes to the existing transfer policy, seeking to restore the authority to transfer teachers at the district level rather than through the Sindh Secretariat. Another major demand was the abolition of the Cluster Hub Policy, which allows smaller government schools to be merged with larger institutions. The teachers opposed the policy, arguing that it was negatively affecting the public education system. The protesters announced that their sit-in would continue until the provincial government accepted all their demands.