PTI central secretariat employees agitate over non-payment of salaries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s financial crisis has deepened as the employees of the central secretariat in Islamabad have not received their salaries for three months, ARY News reported on Thursday.

More than 25 employees PTI central secretariat in Islamabad recorded their protest with PTI leadership over the non-payment of salaries for months.

The issue was raised with the Chairman PTI Barrister Gohar and PTI Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram.

A fundraising campaign has been launched to address the issue as PTI parliamentarians and ticket holders are also being asked to contribute funds to pay the employees’ salaries.

According to sources, the monthly budget of PTI central secretariat employees’ salaries is around Rs4.5 million but the party funds have been depleted due to the hefty amount of lawyers’ fees who are representing PTI in various courts.

Read More: PTI launches fund raising campaign

Meanwhile, PTI has also launched a fundraising campaign this month to support party operations, seeking financial contributions from its parliamentarians and ticket holders.

According to reports, a letter addressed to party members acknowledged PTI’s severe financial crisis and instructed lawmakers and ticket holders to contribute Rs240,000 annually to the party fund. The letter stated that the payment could be made in two instalments, with Rs120,000 to be deposited every six months.

The party has asked members to submit their first instalment by January 2025 as part of efforts to stabilise its financial position during this challenging period.

Interestingly, the fundraising campaign comes at a time when PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in a bold display of pressure tactics, urged overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances to Pakistan as part of a civil disobedience movement aimed at forcing the government to meet his demands.

However, while calling for economic resistance, his own party is grappling with a severe financial crisis, prompting a desperate appeal for funds from parliamentarians and ticket holders to keep party operations afloat.