KARACHI:
Due to rising inflation across the country, employees of the federal government had been demanding an increase in their salaries. They staged a sit-in in the federal capital for a few days until the government agreed to their demands which included bringing salaries of employees in some government departments on a par with those being paid high salaries; regularising the services of contractual employees like lady health workers; etc.
But before agreeing to their legal demands, the state apparatus resorted to baton charge and teargas shelling to disperse the peaceful protestors, many of who were temporarily jailed as well. The government also blamed the protesters for playing into the hands of the opposition. however, the fact of the matter is that when such protests or sit-ins are staged anywhere in the world, it indicates that either the government has failed to improve the living conditions of the people or have turned a blind eye to the core issues that haunt them.
Riaz Ahmad Soomro
Shikarpur
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2021.
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