Islamabad protest: Govt employees agree to negotiate with federal govt

ISLAMABAD: The government employees protesting in Islamabad have agreed to negotiate with the federal government after the latter has decided to give a 40 percent pay rise to them, ARY NEWS reported.

Islamabad’s district administration announced that it was halting an operation against the protesting government employees for two hours.

It emerged that some of the arrested leaders of the Islamabad protestors would also be released ahead of the talks with the government. An increase of 25 percent to 40 percent is also expected in the salaries of the protesting employees.

Protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk

It is pertinent to mention here that police on Wednesday fired tear gas at government employees protesting for pay raise, pensions and other allowances at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.

Hundreds of the Pakistan Secretariat employees gathered at D-Chowk to protest for higher salaries.

Swinging into action, the police fired tear gas at the protesters in a bid to disperse them. As a result, the protesters got furious and started pelting the policemen, many in anti-riot gear, with stones, turning the area into a virtual battlefield.

The police subsequently arrested Employees Grand Alliance chief organiser Rehman Bajwa and 26 other protesters.

The law enforcers also blocked all the routes leading to the Red Zone to keep the protesting government employees from converging there.

Government’s stance  

Speaking to ARY News, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said the government and the protesters had reached an agreement on the pay raise demand. The government agreed to increase salaries of grade-16 officers and below but now they are asking pay raise for grade-22 officers, he added.

He said talks with the protesters are underway and warned that those taking law into their hands will be taken to task.

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal cabinet, in its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, had endorsed a decision to increase salaries of the federal employees. It directed the provinces to decide for themselves about the salaries of their employees.