Shehbaz, Malik seek relief for govt employees

Gill says assistance will be given as soon conditions are favourable

ISLAMABAD: The opposition leaders, Shehbaz Sharif and Rehman Malik, have sought relief and increase in the salaries of government employees whose remunerations were not raised by the government in the annual budget for the financial year 2020-21.

It was earlier being expected that salaries and pensions would be raised by 20% but apparently the government gave in to pressure of the International Monetary Fund, which had urged the country to freeze the salaries of government employees and adhere to the fiscal consolidation path by showing a nominal primary deficit in the new budget.

In a statement on Sunday, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif demanded of the government to have at least a 10 per cent increase in the government employees’ salaries.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) during its tenure raised the salaries of civil servants every year and also provided them other benefits besides housing allowances, he added.

Shehbaz, who is also the PML-N president, said: “It is unacceptable not to increase the salaries of government employees, especially low-scale employees.”

He added that amid rising inflation rate and health expenditures, it would be great injustice with the government employees if their salaries are not increased. “The budget does not show that the country is going through an economic recession and slowdown.”

Criticising the economic measures, the opposition leader claimed that the government had not reserved appropriate funds for the public sector development expenditures. “Measures that create jobs and alleviate poverty are not visible,” he said while lamenting the absence of a budget for any programme related to farmers. Shehbaz added that the agricultural sector is suffering from a decline of 2.9% and alleged that the government has failed in providing relief to farmers.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Rehman Malik has decided to take up the issue of giving special package in the budget for the government employees in the Senate.

“The government employees are right in their demands and are worried about the current budget. No relief has been provided to them in this budget,” he said in an official handout. The senator appealed to the government to announce relief for civil servants.

Malik, the former interior minister, said that how the government employees would be able to pay utility bills and buy basic commodities amid inflation. “I would take up the issue of special relief in the budget for government employees in the Senate,” Malik said.

Reacting to opposition’s concerns, the government’s point-man on political communication said the prime minister was aware of such issues and relief will be given as soon as conditions are favourable.

“The economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The PM is aware of the issues of the government employees and relief will be given as soon as conditions are favourable,” Shahbaz Gill said.

Lambasting the previous government, he claimed that no department had been performing during the PML-N’s tenure. “Somebody should tell Shehbaz that we have doubled the health budget from the previous tenure and that inflation is in the single-digit now,” he said.