Primary school teachers from across Sindh were stopped by police in Karachi as they tried to march from the Karachi Press Club towards the Chief Minister's House, in a protest over pay, promotion and job security that has been running since August.

The protest was organised by the Primary School Teachers Association. It began as a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club before the teachers tried to move towards the chief minister's official residence. Police blocked the route, using a water cannon, tear gas and baton charges to turn the march back, according to reports from Express News and Minute Mirror.

Several teachers were detained during the operation. Express News reported that those held were later released. Several teachers were injured in the police action and one was taken to hospital.

Teacher Kausar, speaking to reporters at the scene, alleged that police had shelled the teachers heavily and that association leader Ejaz Ali Chandio was among those detained. She said the teachers would not return to their schools until their leadership was released and their demands were addressed.

After the detainees were released, the protesters set up a camp outside the Press Club with their leadership, and lawyers assured them of full support. The association said the protest would continue until the provincial government gave a satisfactory response to its demands.

The teachers have submitted 14 demands to the government. At the top of the list is the restoration of a proper service structure for primary teachers, along with an upgrade in pay scales. They also want their service counted as permanent from the date of their original appointment, arguing that the initial three-year contract period should not be excluded.

Other demands include handling transfers at district level rather than through the Sindh Secretariat, scrapping the Cluster Hub Policy, and stopping the merger of smaller government schools into larger ones. Protesters also objected to the merger of the historic Firdous Primary School in Hyderabad into a higher secondary school.

Shabina Khan of the Primary Teachers Association in Hyderabad said the campaign had been running since August and was not sudden, as the 14 demands had already been handed to the government. She said some primary teachers were stuck in grades 9, 14 and 16, while high school teachers received promotion opportunities and regular departmental promotion meetings.

According to her, Education Minister Sardar Shah had said on 5 October that he wished to promote primary teachers up to grade 20, but that a service structure had to come first.

Several roads around the Press Club were closed to vehicles during the protest. Traffic police said Sir Syed Road was shut and traffic was diverted towards Aiwan-e-Sadr Road and Zainab Market. Minute Mirror reported that employees in nearby offices were disrupted by the closures.

The association has warned that the protest will go on until the provincial government addresses its demands, and that it will not end the sit-in without a satisfactory response. Teachers have said schools will stay shut until progress is made, a step that could affect schooling across the province if the dispute drags on.