Quetta: All Parties Conference Condemns Government Action Against Employees, Announces Province-Wide Protest on January 26

**Quetta:** An All Parties Conference (APC) in Quetta strongly condemned the alleged government actions against government employees and announced a province-wide protest across Balochistan on January 26 if their demands are not met.

Speakers at the conference said the country’s political, economic, and diplomatic situation is evident to all, accusing the Balochistan government of spreading fear and intimidation among the public, particularly government employees. They stated that instead of taking employees’ issues seriously, the government attempted to suppress their voices and reneged on its promises.

The APC criticized the provincial government for what it termed a “martial law–era mindset,” questioning why raids were being conducted on the homes of government employees as if they were criminals. Participants said employees are struggling to secure their jobs while widespread corruption involving trillions of rupees goes unchecked, yet employees are denied basic benefits.

The conference declared that the issues faced by government employees are issues of Balochistan as a whole, emphasizing that the province is a potential game changer for the region and that Pakistan’s development is closely linked to Balochistan. Speakers questioned the non-payment of the Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA).

The APC presented 11 key demands, including salary increases in line with inflation, an end to pay disparities, automation and online processing of retirement procedures on the Punjab model, provision of time-scale promotions for employees of all departments, utility allowance and house decoration allowance, and the lifting of restrictions on trade unions. The conference also demanded that all financial powers of the Accountant General’s Office be transferred to district-level treasury offices.

Condemning the use of force against employees, the APC vowed to stand with them to the last extent. The government was given a deadline until January 26 to resolve employees’ issues, failing which a full-scale protest will be held across Balochistan. The conference further announced that another meeting of all political parties will be convened on February 3, while protests, including a sit-in and shutter-down strike at the assembly or Red Zone, will be held on February 4.