BHC orders government employees to end sit-in

The Balochistan High Court on Friday ordered the members of All Balochistan Employees and Workers Grand Alliance to end their sit-in immediately and ordered the government to hold purposeful talks with the protesting government employees and not take any action against them.

A two-judge divisional bench headed by BHC Chief Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Kamran Mulakhel also ordered the imposition of cuts in non-development sector and increase revenue generation. Advocate General Arbab Tahir Kasi, finance secretary, additional chief secretary, and the commissioner of quetta appeared in court to face the petition filed by Advocate Munir Kakar and others pertaining to the sit-in being carried out since the past two weeks. During the hearing, BHC CJ Mandokhel remarked that teachers who do not end their boycott of matriculation exams should be fired. If any child's paper is cancelled then teachers will go to jail, he added.

He further said the government has violated the Constitution by differentiating between government employees of the same grade. There are a lot of new vehicles in the secretariat and the government says it does not have money, he remarked. Chief Justice Mandokhel asked the advocate general why the chief minister purchased four new vehicles when government employees have not received salaries since three months? If the university fees are increased then there will be noise, he said. Expressing his anger over the government, the chief justice questioned whether the ministers and secretaries have additional vehicles in their house.

Read Teachers to boycott matric exams

“How many vehicles are there in their house and how much do they cost?” He advised that the government can alleviate many problems by selling non-essential properties. The court maintained that the protesting employees are children of the government and salaries of officers belonging to the same grade should be the same. The advocate general told the court that a committee comprising of provincial ministers and other officials was constituted on March 30 to hold talks with the employees. A sub-committee headed by the home secretary and comprising of the finance, education and law secretary have been holding talks with the protestors. The counsel representing the protestors informed the court that the committee had approved 18 points.

Advocate General Kakar responded that the demands of the employees were not accepted as yet. “For this process, a meeting between the committee and the Grand Alliance is required which will be brought on record.” He requested the Grand Alliance to end the sit-in and asked the court to convene a meeting of the sub-committee to resolve the issues. The additional chief secretary assured the court to hold a meeting with the chief secretary and Chief Minister Jam Kamal in this regard. He said that all possible steps will be taken keeping in view the law and financial situation of the province.

BHC chief justice said that he expects the government will ensure the availability of funds to solve the persisting problem. He added that the government may impose nonduplicate funds as well as take steps for revenue generation. The court ordered the advocate general to submit a progress report on the matter at the next hearing. It also directed the committee to resolve the demands of the pensioners association.