SHANGLA: The government employees and pensioners from parts of Kana tehsil have demanded of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to ensure its local branch pays their salary and pensions before Eidul Fitr.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, they said they had been facing problems in getting payments since the NBP branch in Kana tehsil had been converted into Islamic banking, transferring pensioners’ accounts to the main branch in Alpuri, the district headquarters.

They complained that last month their payments were also delayed for two weeks.

Haji Nawab, president of the teachers’ union, said there was only one NBP branch in the main Shahpur Bazaar, troubling the government servants in securing payments.

He said the government had announced that payment of salary and pension would be ensured by March 20, but to no avail.

Ijaz Ahmad, another government servant, said they had been facing challenges for the last four months since the bank status was changed, and despite their protest the issue could not be addressed.

“We demand of the government to ensure payment of our salary timely as bank management is accusing the finance department for the delay.

We also demand establishment of more private and government banks in the Kana tehsil so that we shift our accounts to there, which would also help reduce rush at the NBP branch,” Mr Ahmad said.

Amanullah Khan, a pensioner, said that after the bank branch was converted into Islamic mode of banking, it shifted the pensioners’ accounts to the main branch in Alpuri, which is around 27 kilometres away from Shahpur.

They demanded that the government establish branches of other banks in the Kana tehsil, and immediately return the pensioners’ accounts to NBP branch in Shahpur.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2025