Grand Alliance Demands Are Legitimate; Government Must Act Immediately: Nasrullah Zerey

Quetta: Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP) Balochistan President Nasrullah Khan Zerey has stated that all demands put forward by the Grand Alliance of employees are justified, lawful, and constitutional, and urged the government to immediately accept and implement them without further delay.

Addressing the Grand Alliance’s protest camp outside the Quetta Press Club, Nasrullah Zerey emphasized that the Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party stands firmly with government employees and will not abandon them in their legitimate struggle under any circumstances.

He said that the government had already promised to accept the Grand Alliance’s demands, but regretted that no practical progress has been made so far, calling it clear evidence of government inefficiency and breach of commitments.

Party leaders and speakers stated that the Charter of Demands presented by the Grand Alliance is fully in line with constitutional and legal requirements and must be accepted. Key demands include an immediate increase in salaries of all government employees in proportion to inflation, elimination of pay disparities and inequalities, withdrawal of employee-unfriendly pension reform notifications, and implementation of an automated and online retirement system on the Punjab model.

They further demanded an immediate halt to privatization of public institutions, an end to contract and ad-hoc appointments, and a 100 percent increase in house rent, medical, and conveyance allowances for all employees. The speakers also called for the transfer of financial powers from the Accountant General’s office to district treasury offices to ensure transparency and administrative ease.

Additional demands included upgradation and time-scale benefits for employees across all departments, significant reduction in heavy tax deductions on salaries, and mandatory registration of workers from private institutions, companies, coal mines, and industrial units with EOBI and social security to guarantee full labor rights and legal protection.

Expressing serious concern over frequent accidents in coal mines, the leaders stressed the need for effective and practical safety measures to prevent loss of lives. They also demanded the immediate lifting of bans on associations and unions in Balochistan, and an end to actions against labor and employee organizations.

Concluding the address, Nasrullah Zerey warned that if the government fails to show seriousness toward employees’ legitimate demands, the protest movement would be expanded further, holding the government fully responsible for the consequences.