QUETTA: The Balochistan Grand Alliance, a joint platform of various unions and associations of government employees, on Wednesday threatened to launch a protest movement in the province against government’s plans to abolish pensions and other proposed reforms in almost all government departments.
Speaking at a press conference, BGA leaders Prof Abdul Qudoos Kakar, Abdul Malik and Ali Asghar Bangulzai said the alliance is not against reforms in different government departments, but BGA wanted its leadership should be taken on board on this important issue and in decision-making.
“We are not against reforms and improvement in different government departments, but we are against abolition of pensions and our non-representation in the government’s decision-making process on these vital issues of government employees,” the BGA leaders said.
“If we are pushed to the wall and not consulted on this important issue, we will launch a protest movement in the province,” the BGA leaders threatened.
They said that in view of some judicial decisions, they will stage their protest without causing difficulties to the masses.
They said they will present evidence of five mega corruption scandals of the provincial government over the past year to the Anti-Corruption Department.
The alliance leaders said the government has failed to provide funds for managing universities and employees of government universities have not received their salaries for the past four months.
They criticised bureaucrats and politicians for claiming that the IMF’s conditions include reforms and improving governance and addressing corruption, but instead of addressing corruption, they said, the government is putting the burden on employees.
They said that according to IMF, politicians and officers in every province of the country were engaged in corruption worth billions of rupees annually.
They demanded the government to involve employees in decision-making regarding reforms and end retaliatory actions against those demanding their legal and just rights. They said the government must end its efforts to push employees to the wall as it would lead to anarchy in the province.
The alliance leaders said the alliance has decided to hold protest in every district after holding a convention in Quetta in which employees from across the country will participate.
Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025
