Deadlock Between Government and Employees Persists as Finance Minister Rules Out Rs20 Billion Burden; 50 Protest Leaders Arrested, Teachers Suspended

Quetta: Provincial Finance Minister Shoaib Nosherwani has said that the government understands the difficulties faced by employees and is already providing various facilities, however granting the Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA) to around 350,000 provincial employees would put an additional financial burden of up to Rs20 billion on the provincial treasury.

Speaking to the media, the finance minister said that such a major decision cannot be taken in haste and consultations are still under way. He appealed to government employees not to take any extreme steps until the government reaches a final decision.

On the other hand, Balochistan Grand Alliance head Abdul Qudoos Kakar said that the federal government and other provinces have already granted the DRA allowance, but the Balochistan government is unwilling to do so. He said that in the current era of inflation, the allowance is a basic right of employees and even the government’s own committee has recommended its approval, but the chief minister is not implementing those recommendations.

Abdul Qudoos Kakar further stated that employees of the Governor House, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Provincial Assembly Secretariat, Civil Secretariat and the High Court receive higher salaries, while employees of the same grades in other departments are paid less. He said the DRA allowance is essential to eliminate this disparity.

He also alleged that instead of accepting the demands, the government has launched retaliatory actions despite its promises. He claimed that raids are being conducted in different cities to arrest protest leaders, adding that more than 50 employees have so far been arrested, while 15 are already lodged in Quetta jail. He further said that 38 professors from various colleges have been suspended for participating in protests.