QUETTA, April 22: Police arrested 150 employees of various government departments here on Monday for observing a strike to press the provincial government to give them the utility and special allowance.

At least 13 strikers received minor injuries when police resorted to a baton charge in an attempt to stop the employees from staging a sit-in in front of Science College.

The injured were given first aid at a city hospital and discharged. The district administration said 50 employees had been arrested for violating section 144.

Meanwhile, a number of government employees, including teachers, paramedics and officials of the Balochistan Secretariat, held a demonstration in front of the Quetta Press Club, and chanted slogans in favour of their demands and against the government.

Strikers’ leaders condemned the government for issuing show-cause notices to them instead of accepting their demands. They announced that they would not compromise their demands and would continue their struggle till the acceptance of their demands.

They said the 40 per cent utility and special allowance that they had been demanding had been approved for 25 other districts of the province.

The employees working in other districts had been getting the allowance for more than three years, they said, making it clear that they would not accept less then 40 per cent allowance as the government had offered to some of the employees’ associations two weeks ago.

The strike and protests have paralyzed life in the city.