Protest by Federal Government Employees Disrupts Islamabad
Hundreds of civil servants had reached the Federal Secretariat on the protest call by All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) on Wednesday morning
Islamabad once again became a battleground on Wednesday as its air filled with the smoke of tear gas fired to contain the protest by federal government employees who want an increment in their salaries.
Hundreds of civil servants had reached the Federal Secretariat on the protest call by All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) on Wednesday morning.
Islamabad police fired tear-gas to stop the demonstrators outside the Parliament House from proceeding. Many of them have been arrested too.
To avert arrests, the federal government employees shut the gate of the federal secretariat in Islamabad and staged a protest there.
The security of the sensitive buildings on Constitutional Avenue has been jacked up with the deployment of additional personnel.
The workers are also observing a pen-down strike to make government placate them on their demands of increment in salaries.
AGEGA demands
The protesting civil servants want the government to increase salaries by 40 percent.
They have contended that civil servants in different institutions including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and police have a higher pay scale than them.
Govt’s steps to stop protests
The federal cabinet decided to increase the salaries of now-demonstrating civil servants after an official committee held dialogue with AGEGA.
However, the notification in this regard was not issued.
AGEGA officials said that would not have taken to the roads if the government had increased salaries as promised.
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Notably, All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) has not joined the protest and the clerical staff in different federal institutions and departments is working as per routine.
