Balochistan Grand Alliance Continues Province-Wide Protests; Threatens Assembly Siege Over Charter of Demands

Quetta:Protest demonstrations and symbolic hunger strike camps led by the **Balochistan Grand Alliance** continued for a second consecutive day across all districts of Balochistan, including the provincial capital Quetta. The protest is centered on a 12-point charter of demands addressing wage disparities, inflation, pension reforms, and job regularization.

Outside the Quetta Press Club, the central protest camp drew hundreds of employees and visits from key political and civil society figures including **Pushtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Secretary Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal**, **Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan Ameer and MPA Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch**, and **Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party’s provincial president Nasrullah Zerey**, all of whom expressed solidarity with the movement.

Speaking at the camp, **Grand Alliance organizer Professor Abdul Qudoos Kakar** reiterated that their protest remains peaceful and within democratic boundaries. He warned that if the government does not implement the charter by **Eid-ul-Adha**, the alliance will escalate its movement by **marching to the provincial assembly during the budget session**.

> “Despite inflation and growing economic burdens, government employees in Balochistan are among the lowest-paid in the country,” Kakar stated. “Our demands are not unreasonable—they’re about justice and dignity.”

The **12-point charter of demands** includes:

* A raise in salaries in line with inflation;
* Elimination of pay disparity between departments and regions;
* Immediate withdrawal of all anti-employee pension reform notifications;
* Automation of pension and retirement processes akin to Punjab;
* Stoppage of privatization of public departments;
* Promotion of permanent employment over contractual or ad-hoc hiring;
* 100% increase in house rent, medical, and conveyance allowances;
* Transfer of financial powers from AG Office to district treasury offices;
* Time-scale and performance-based upgradation;
* Reduction of tax deductions from salaries;
* EOBI registration for all workers;
* Lifting of bans on unions and associations.

The alliance also demanded **urgent financial support for universities facing crises** and highlighted the suffering of middle-class, working professionals under rising inflation.

**Opposition Parties Back Protest**
All visiting political leaders strongly endorsed the demands. Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal called the protests a sign of worsening governance, stating:

> “When educated, middle-class workers are forced onto the streets, it shows how deeply flawed the system has become.”

Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch criticized the government’s double standards, stating it funds luxuries while ignoring salaries and pensions. Nasrullah Zerey added that worsening socio-economic conditions are pushing public servants toward desperation.

**Next Steps Announced**
If demands remain unmet, the Grand Alliance has announced a mass mobilization of **hundreds of thousands of employees** to Quetta for a siege of the provincial assembly during the **upcoming budget session**.

The movement has drawn growing attention amid ongoing unrest in other sectors of the province, highlighting broader public frustration with economic mismanagement and government inaction.