Pay row sparks Peshawar municipal sit-in

Salary and pension dues trigger protest on Charsadda Road

PESHAWAR:

Employees of the Capital Metropolitan Government Peshawar, under the banner of the United Municipal Workers Union, staged a sit-in protest on Charsadda Road on Monday, completely halting traffic and causing severe inconvenience to commuters.

The demonstration, which began inside the Capital Metropolitan assembly hall, saw workers chanting slogans before moving onto the road and blocking Charsadda Road for nearly two hours. The protest led to a total traffic jam at Bacha Khan Chowk, with the road remaining closed in both directions, severely affecting public movement in the provincial capital.

Led by United Municipal Workers Union Chairman Malik Naveed Awan, along with patron Bilal Ahmad, General Secretary Syed Waqar Ali Shah, President Ismail Khan, Finance Secretary Khawaja Aftab, Vice Chairmen Farooq Khan and Rashid Khan, Deputy President Azmat Toofan, and other office-bearers, the protesters gathered to highlight longstanding grievances.

Women employees from the Social Welfare Department and female teachers from municipal girls' schools also participated in the demonstration.

Addressing the gathering, union leaders accused the Capital Metropolitan administration of widespread lawlessness, rampant corruption in local funds, and failure to pay salaries, pensions, overtime allowances, weather allowances, and other dues. They highlighted that hundreds of retirees have not received their monthly pensions for the past 18 months, seniority lists remain unresolved, and many officers have become detached from official duties, rendering the office dysfunctional.