Govt employees’ protest paralyses Pindi

Citizens suffer due to stoppage of work, traffic congestion

RAWALPINDI:

Citizens faced immense difficulties as life came to a standstill in the entire district on Tuesday due to the observance of a complete strike by employees of 23 government institutions by locking down their offices and taking out a protest rally against the implementation of new leave encashment and pension rules.

According to the sources, due to the strike and protest rallies taken out by the government employees – ranging from teachers to clerks to pensioners, no property could be registered in the property registration branch while registration and transfer of new vehicles and open courts could not function.

The teaching system in all government schools came to a standstill as students sat idle throughout the day and were relieved early. The anti-dengue and anti-polio activities were also affected while the administrative system was also paralysed due to a complete strike in the offices of the commissioner, deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners.

On the other hand, due to the strike in the Finance Department, the citizens could not even get the land ownership deeds. Even the process of property registration in the Kachehri’s Registry Branch and Tehsil Office was halted.

According to sources, all government employees came to the offices as usual but did not touch any official files as work kept piling up in the institutions. They said the complainants continued to languish in the public offices throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the anti-encroachment operation by the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation was also affected due to the strike.

Rally for rights

After observing the complete strike, the government employees gathered at the Office of the Education Department at the Committee Chowk at 11.00am and took out a protest rally which was led by leaders of the clerks and teachers associations including All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA).

The protest rally was addressed by association leaders, including Shahid Mubarak, Shahzad Kiyani, Chaudhary Mubashir, Raja Aftab, Shahid Mehmood, Raja Tahir, Shafiq Bhalwalia, Akhian Gul, Malik Amjad and Basharat Iqbal Raja.

They demanded the caretaker government not make policy decisions, stressing that their protest was completely peaceful.

“The government should accept our demands regarding leave encashment, pension rules, pay protection, privatization of schools and increase in salaries,” they said and warned that in case their demands were not met, they would continue to observe peaceful strikes and take out rallies besides holding a sit-in outside the Punjab Secretariat at the beginning of October.

“The employees of government institutions, teachers, and class-IV employees from all over Punjab will participate in the sit-in and the protest will continue until the issuance of a notification pertaining to our demands,” they said.

Subsequently, a protest rally was held on Murree Road in which a large number of employees participated. As a result of the rally, the traffic system from Committee Chowk to Liaquat Bagh on Murree Road was paralysed for three hours and long queues of vehicles were formed.

The employees chanted slogans in favour of their demands. The police personnel who were deployed at the rally kept standing at a distance and remained mere spectators.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2023.