By: Asif Awan
The All Pakistan Government Employees Confederation (APGEC) has threatened to protest indefinitely in front of the parliament building on the day of the federal budget presentation for the approval of its demands. While holding a crowded press conference at the Abbottabad Press Club, they presented an 11-point charter of demands to the Prime Minister, including an increase in the benefits and salaries of government and semi-government employees, pensioners and workers. In this regard, Chairman All Pakistan Government Employees Association Haji Abdul Manaf Khan and other leaders said in a press conference that the government has rendered thousands, if not millions, of employees unemployed by auctioning national assets and selling off institutions. The ruling and opposition parties allocate a large part of the country’s budget for their privileges and luxuries. While the machinery that runs the country is empty, the slogan is raised that the treasury is empty for the lower class government employees and workers. The leaders said that there will be a full-scale protest in the parliament building on the day the federal budget is presented and the protest will continue until the notification of the approval of the demands is issued. They also demanded that the federal and provincial governments increase salaries and pensions in line with the inflation rate in the 11-point charter of demand for employees in the budget, withdraw the decision to abolish pension in the name of pension reforms, have the same scale, the same service structure, and provide the same privileges. The list of demands also includes abolishing WASA companies and transferring assets to TMEs, and restoring the quota for children of employees who die during service. They also demanded that the caste system of education be abolished, a uniform system and curriculum be introduced, and education be provided in local languages. Other demands were also presented. Similarly, all government drivers According to Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, Information Secretary of the Hazara Association, there was a demand to include educated drivers in the clerical quota, restore the service structure of drivers, and also demand for gradation. In this regard, the central leaders have emphasized that they will protest outside Parliament on Budget Day.
