Three govt employees injured in police tear gas shelling

At least two protesting government employees were injured when police fired tear gas shells to disperse them in Quetta on Thursday.

The employees demanded 25 per cent disparity allowance and tried to enter Red Zone on which police stopped them and then fired tear gas shells to disperse them.

“Police used force against us despite the fact that our protest was largely peaceful,” Habibur Rehman Mardanzai, the Chief of Balochistan Employees Grand Workers Alliance (BEGWA) told The Express Tribune.

The high-handedness of police prompted Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo, to take notice of the incident. BEGWA office-bearers held successful negotiations with CM Balochistan and called off the protest, a spokesperson for the CM Secretariat said in a statement.

Police pushed back protesting employees and stopped them from entering the Red Zone.

Police resorted to tear gas to disperse the protesting government employees when the employees tried to force their way in. “Our government is committed to address the issues of the employees,” CM Bizenjo said while talking to the BEGWA delegation. The protesters were also chanting slogans against the provincial government for its failure to address their problems.

Government employees from Quetta and other parts of the province had gathered to press the provincial government to provide them a 25 per cent disparity allowance.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2022.