LAHORE: Thousands of teachers and employees of the University of the Punjab took to the streets on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in a major protest called by the Joint Action Committee to press for what it described as their legitimate rights.
According to a press release issued by the Publicity Department of the Joint Action Committee, office-bearers of the Punjab University Academic Staff Association and the Punjab University Administrative & Technical Staff Association joined the demonstration along with a large number of faculty members and employees.
Addressing the gathering, Joint Action Committee Chairman Prof Dr Sardar Asghar Iqbal alleged that the Vice Chancellor was patronising a particular group within the university, which, he said, had badly affected the institution’s financial and administrative affairs.
Prof Dr Abdul Rehman Khan Niazi, Senior Vice President of the Joint Action Committee Prof Dr Muqeet Javed, Dr Abrar Zafar, Prof Dr Kamran Mirza and other faculty members were also present on the occasion.
Chaudhry Basharat Mahmood, President of the Punjab University Administrative & Technical Staff Association and President of the Joint Action Committee, said the employees had been holding peaceful protests for the last one and a half years, but the administration had shown “stubbornness”.
“We have been protesting peacefully for the past one and a half years, but the administration has shown stubbornness. Now we are compelled to take practical protest actions,” he told the participants.
Announcing the future line of action, Chaudhry Basharat Mahmood said work would be suspended for two hours daily inside offices as a mark of protest, while employees would wear black armbands. He also announced that a protest rally would be held every Wednesday.
He warned that if the administration did not show seriousness, the protesters would be forced to block the Campus Bridge. He further said protests would also be staged outside the office of the Honorable Chief Minister of Punjab and on GT Road near the Gujranwala and Jhelum campuses.
Chaudhry Basharat Mahmood demanded immediate resolution of the issues facing teachers and employees and payment of all outstanding dues. He also alleged that DG Rehan Sadiq Sheikh, for whom no post previously existed, misbehaved with employees and was fully responsible for the deterioration of the university’s administrative and financial conditions. He demanded that DG Rehan Sadiq Sheikh be dismissed immediately.
The protesters also called upon the Government of Punjab to conduct a forensic audit of the university’s financial and administrative affairs.
Tayyab Ijaz Khan Swati, Tanveer Awan, Hammad Butt, Azhar Iqbal Baloch and former Association President Nasir Rehmat also addressed the protest.
The Joint Action Committee said the protest movement would continue until the demands were accepted.
