Govt fails to address concerns of Balochistan Development Authority's employees

Protestors continue hunger strike outside Quetta Press Club

QUETTA: Negotiations between the provincial government and the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) failed to make headway on Saturday, with the latter’s employees refusing to end their protest camp until the issuance of a notification for their regularisation.

Provincial Ministers Zamrak Khan Achakzai, Mir Sikandar Umrani, Bushra Rind and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Arbab Umar Farooq Kasi were part of the delegation that visited the protesters.

Urging the protesters to call off their hunger strike, they pointed out that the chief minister had already approved the release of salaries of contractual employees pending since February, along with the formation of a committee, led by the chief secretary, to prepare a report on their regularisation.



Despite their assurance, BDA’s contractual staff refused to end their protest while vowing to continue their hunger strike unto death. “We won’t end the hunger camp until the government issues the notification,” they said.

Unable to break the deadlock, the provincial government’s delegation sought more time from the protesters for developing consensus on the government level, for which they said would convene at the CM House.

Turning up the heat

Condemning the government for a lack of resolve in addressing the problems of the contractual employees of the BDA, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Lashkari Raisani on Saturday said that his party would support the protesters until their demands are met.

“The BDA employees have been on a hunger strike outside the Quetta Press Club since this week, but the provincial government hasn’t shown the seriousness required to fulfil their demands,” Raisani said, vowing to continue to raise voice for the rights of the people of Balochistan.

Raisani shared these views while visiting the protesters outside the press club on Saturday. “The provincial government can’t address the minor issues of contractual employees in Balochistan, who are demanding regularisation which is their due right,” he said, adding that this showed that the provincial cabinet lacked the will or the authority to make decisions.



According to Raisani, the provincial government’s failure to issue a notification for regularisation showed that its actions were dictated by the Centre.

“While the selected provincial government is not serious in addressing the public problems, the BNP-M will continue raising this and other public issues at the federal and provincial levels,” he said.

He also criticised the government over its utilisation of resources, including the opposition’s claim about lapse of 80 per cent of funds allocated for the provincial Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

“Instead of providing relief to the poor masses of Balochistan, the chief minister wants to facilitate Islamabad by allowing the lapse of billions of rupees of the provincial PSDP,” he said.