Teachers Take to the Streets: An Open Letter to the CM of Gilgit-Baltistan
By Imdad Hussain
Dear Chief Minister,
I hope this epistle of mine finds you in good health and high spirits. I would like to draw your attention to a very serious matter; the teachers’ sit-in, it has been more than two weeks, and the teachers have staged a sit-in seeking implementation of a court order. The honorable high court has given a verdict in favor of the teachers. Accordingly, those who hold a B.A& B-ed should be awarded BPS-16 and those who have B.A with CT must be upgraded to BPS-14. The verdict has been partially implemented; a group of petitioners has been entertained as per of court’s verdict. Conversely, a few have been excluded to the extent that they have resorted to carrying out protests against this cherry-pick scheme and demanding implementation of the court’s order in true letter and spirit uniformly across Gilgit Baltistan. Ostensibly, their demands are genuine and they reserve the right to protest against discriminatory policies within the department. I am sure, you being a public representative, hold the decisions of the courts in high esteem and as a chief executive of the province resolve to iron out the kinks in implementation. Sir, the distinction between a civilized and uncivilized society hinges upon a nation’s adherence to the rule of law and respect for the courts and women. We as a nation proudly celebrate to be a civilized nation. What on earth is contaminating our society and tarnishing our positive image in the comity of nations? I would request you to be vigilant, which I am sure you are, and find out the black sheep within our ranks to protect the society from plunging into an abyss. We should honor our people, and treat them as sovereigns, their due rights should be assured to maintain the social order. The capitalistic predicaments such as nepotism, favoritism, greediness, political blackmailing, bureaucratic retape-ism, etc. should not plague our centuries-old simplistic, and peaceful social order.
Teachers are the architects of a nation. The future of nations is built in classrooms not anywhere else. Let me put down an anecdote from the famous novelist Ishfaq Ahmad’s writings. He writes that while he was serving as a professor in Rome, Italy, one day while coming back home from his office, inadvertently, he violated the traffic laws. The police officer on duty fined him, the fine was to be deposited at any post office, but he could not pay it on time and he had to appear in court for this negligence. Upon hearing of his case in front of the judge, he was asked why had he refused to pay the fine. He told the judge that he was a professor and owing to his busy schedule he could not pay it on time. The moment the puisne judge heard the word professor, stood up immediately from his chair and said, ” There is a teacher in the court”. All the people including the police officers and other officials, stood up. The judge ordered bringing a chair and seated him, apologized, and as a reverence canceled his fine. This is how civilized societies treat their nation-builders. Ishfaq Ahmad says, on that day, I realized that the honor of the nation lies in the honor and respect of the teachers.
Islam has elevated the rank and honor of the teachers more than any other civilization. Mola Ali (a.s) says, “The one who taught me a word has, indeed, enslaved me”. The Quran has attributed the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as a teacher of humanity, the profession of teacher is the profession of saints and prophets, and comes in hadiths. Sir, by no means the teachers should be affected or ridiculed on the roads with the use of bureaucratic procedures. I have been facilitating aspirants for almost six years; believe me, I fear putting myself to the rank of a teacher; I feel like, I don’t have the stature and charisma to be called a teacher. Teaching is a daunting task, takes your health and wealth to impart knowledge. Without teachers, I would have not been able to write up this piece of writing, and many would have not been able to become bureaucrats, judges, politicians, and other professionals.
Sir, no matter how much I try to beautify my expression with suffixes, prefixes, and adjectives, I won’t be able to justify the stature and reverence a teacher accrues in society. You being our elder, a notable of your region, chief executive of the province, and leader of the house need to resolve this long-standing issue having far-reaching consequences on the society as a whole in general and the pupils in particular. They must be compensated out of reverence and to assert the claims of a civilized nation. Yes, those who are involved in any sort of negligence in performing duties, forgery, and illegal degrees must face the music. Neither we afford to let them suffer nor we can condone their blunders. The bureaucracy should be told not to falter in implementing the orders of the honorable court. The courts, on the other hand, should issue contempt against those not yielding to court orders. Sir, you need to set a precedent by showing doors to those not complying with the orders of the court and playing with fire to blaze a society known for its kindness and tenderness.
Before concluding my letter, I confess that my heart bleeds when there is chaos on my soil, unrest in my streets, politics of vested interests in the backyards, and the storm of fighting continues to take a toll on lives and breadwinners. The storms of unrest, be it protests or conflict among various stakeholders, must abate and discontinue. We are a nascent prototype province, treading on the path to becoming a mainstream province. Before we are admitted into the ambit of the constitution, we need to bring our house in order. We should recognize the strategic importance of the region, and value our human capital and resources to perform better than other provinces in all the realms of life. Most importantly, the society and its dregs ought to understand the importance of a democratic society and all the norms required to consolidate a democratic setup must be practiced. The myth of an arbiter bureaucracy, lawlessness, and incompetent public representatives should be nipped in the bud. Brotherhood among the indigenous people should prevail and those in power should exercise power with restraint and caution. Long live Gilgit-Baltistan.
