Govt employees demand pay raise

Joint statement calls for addressing the issue of high inflation

LORALAI: A large number of political, social and tribal leaders in Loralai in a joint statement released on Thursday demanded of the government to immediately raise salaries of the government servants owing to intense inflation and economic meltdown.

Those bearing the signatures to the statement include Pakistan Peoples’ Party divisional press secretary Wali Khan Kakar, National Party’s Central Committee members Dar Muhammad Baloch, Usman Khan Loni, Nazeer Samalani,  Azeem Bangalzai, Akram Lango, Tahir Lango, trader association leaders Muhammad Babuzai, Abdul Jabbar, Abdul Rehman Loni and Azeem Khan, Awami National Party leaders Azam Khan Kadeerzai, renowned tribal and social activist Adv. Zareef Khan Kakar, district president for newspaper sellers association Umar Zai Nasir, senior leaders Abdul Wahab Nasir, and Nazr Muhammad Nasir and others.

They particularly stress on raising pays of class-4 government officers saying that such people were forced to live in misery. The parents are unable to afford the needs of their children, they said, requesting the federal and the provincial governments to address the issue of growing inflation and compensate the workers accordingly.

They reiterated that the government officials were facing immense anxiety due to economic pressures and were forced to choose between either educating their children or attending to the needs of their parents.

They said that government officers were not able to fulfill their family needs if they wanted to meet their requirements with only legit money. If they resort to bribery, their conscience keeps haunting them, they lamented, demanding the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the prime minister and especially Chief Minister Balochistan to ensure ad hoc relief and salary increase as well as free medical facilities for class-4 government servants and their families.

By such measures, they maintain, these poor government servants will be able to maintain their self-respect and would not bow down before bribery or other means. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2019.