More than 500 government employees, under the auspices of Government Employees Grand Alliance, on Tuesday organised a rally in protest against price hike of essential commodities, petroleum products, and eatables, and inflation. Some employees in the rally were wearing no shirt and some had blackened their faces, and were raising slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and the government.
The rally was led by Khalid Javed Sanghera, a leader of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA), and Professor Tanveer Ahmed, a leader of All Pakistan Professors & Lecturers Association.
Khalid said, "Our salaries were increased by 20 percent but prices of essential commodities had increased by 200 to 300 percent; we were purchasing vegetable ghee at Rs 60 to 65 per kg which is now available at Rs 140; rice was at Rs 45 which is now available at Rs 105 per kg. Our electricity, gas and other utility bills have increased by 50 percent. How can we survived under prevailing situation?"
He threatened the government to start a pen-down strike from Wednesday and locking up the offices until the acceptance of their demands. He said that the clerks had put forward their demands to the federal and provincial governments but "the democratically-elected government" did not pay attention.
He complained that representatives of the federal and provincial governments, including the prime minister and chief ministers, did not bother to meet them. "The clerks have been facing financial problems on account of increasing price hike," he said, adding that the prices of basic edible food items had soared immensely but the government did not increase salaries, compelling many of the workers to commit suicide along with their family members.
Comments
Comments are closed.