ISLAMABAD: Government employees on Friday staged a protest demonstration demanding an increase in their salaries.

A large number of government employees including women from different departments under the umbrella of the All Pakistan Government Employees Grand Alliance staged a protest demonstration outside the parliament during the budget session to press the government for the fulfilment of their demands.

They demanded the government that a reasonable increase in their salaries be ensured in the budget 2023-24 being announced as the skyrocketing inflation has made it impossible for them to make both ends meet.

College teachers and employees of various government departments also joined the protest and demanded a 100 percent increase in their salaries in the budget. The protesters said that unless there is a 100 percent increase in their salaries in the budget, it would be impossible for them to make ends meet as the record inflation has simply become unbearable for them.

They appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to keep in mind the record inflation, which they insisted has made lives miserable for them.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed on the occasion.

At one stage the police resorted to a light baton charge against the protesters to force them to open the road.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023