Balochistan Grand Alliance Chairman Condemns Anti-Employee Policies, Vows to Continue Fight for Rights

Quetta:The Chairman of Balochistan Grand Alliance, Professor Abdul Qudus Kakr, has said that over 300,000 employees across Balochistan are united in their fight for their rights. He rejected IMF-driven policies that are detrimental to employees and accused the elite of exploiting the system by securing privileges and dollars while depriving workers of their due share.

Addressing a convention of employees at the Metropolitan Corporation’s Sabza Zar, Kakr highlighted the inequality faced by workers. He pointed out that while 243 billion rupees are collected in taxes from the salaried class, the privileges of the ruling elite, including their salaries and benefits, go unchecked. Kakr added that whenever the issue of benefits for the opposition and rulers arises, all parties stand united, but when it comes to employee pensions, cuts are made.

He further warned that if their Charter of Demands is not implemented, they will devise a future course of action. The convention was also addressed by Abdul Malik Kakr, Abdul Salam Zehri, Ali Bakhsh Jamali, Fareed Achakzai, Mohammad Younis Kakr, Nadeem Khokhar, Manzoor Lala, Naseebullah, and Professor Agaz Ahad.

The speakers expressed concern that while members of the elite have seen a 40% pay increase, the IMF fails to see the struggles of the working class. They pointed out that the ruling elite uses 120 billion rupees worth of fuel in government-owned cars and have been using 550 billion rupees worth of free electricity for the past 78 years. Meanwhile, the government’s focus remains on teachers, health workers, and even sanitation workers, they added.

Kakr reiterated that the government’s privatization policies, contracts, and other measures aimed at undermining employees will not be accepted by the 300,000 strong union of Balochistan workers. He demanded that when reforms are needed in any department, the stakeholders must be consulted, and decisions should not be made behind closed doors.

The speakers also condemned the treatment of Balochistan, calling it a neglected province where students and trade unions are denied their rights. They claimed that while students in Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue their political activities at universities, Balochistan’s resources are being exploited and the people marginalized.

Kakr demanded that orders for permanent appointments be issued for the employees of SBK posts, insisting that the contract policy should not apply to them. He also pledged to stand with these employees in any protest if their demands are not met. Additionally, the Balochistan Grand Alliance condemned the Peca Ordinance and the closure of news channels and the dismissal of staff in Balochistan.