By: Muhammad Ijaz Afridi
PESHAWAR: The employees of the Capital Metropolitan Government in Peshawar are on the third day of protest against the non-payment of two months’ salaries and pensions.
Today, the employees gathered at the District Council Hall to hold a protest meeting. All offices of the Capital Metropolitan Government in Peshawar were locked, preventing anyone, including officers, from entering or sitting in the offices. As a result, all offices remained closed, and the employees continued their protest.
The workers left disappointed after trying to access their offices for the third consecutive day. They are demanding the prompt payment of their salaries and pensions for August and September. The United Municipal Workers Union displayed written demands on banners, which included calls for the Capital Metropolitan Government to combat corruption, establish an effective Account Four system through the District Account Office, and swiftly pay the monthly salaries and pensions for the past two months.
Union leaders, including Malik Muhammad Naveed Awan, Qaiser Bacha, Syed Waqar Ali Shah, Ismail Khan, Khawaja Aftab Elahi, Saqib Khan Khalil, Sohail Aziz, Habib-ur-Rehman, Fazal Mahmood, Samiullah, Farooq Khan, and Azmat Toofan, addressed the employees. Chairman Malik Muhammad Naveed Awan and Qaiser Bacha announced that the second phase of the protest will begin on Monday, during which employees will gather at the Capital Metropolitan Government office to hold a sit-in at Bacha Khan Chowk. In the third phase, on Tuesday, September 23, the employees will again gather at the Capital Metropolitan Government Office to hold another sit-in at the Provincial Assembly Chowk. These sit-ins will continue daily until the salaries and pensions for August and September are paid.
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Instead of giving speeches on this Jumma, the union leaders organised a gathering for reciting the Holy Quran, Durood Sharif, and a prayer ceremony. Chairman Malik Muhammad Naveed Awan led a collective prayer after the Quran recitation, seeking forgiveness from Allah Almighty for the sins of the employees and the entire Muslim Ummah. He prayed for God’s mercy, blessings, and a resolution to their problems.
