10 March 2005	Thursday	28 Muharram 1426

RAWALPINDI, March 9: As part of their protest campaign, clerks observed a pen-down strike throughout the country against the increase in prices of petroleum products , persistent price hike and use of delaying tactics in the acceptance of their demands on Wednesday.

Representatives of All-Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) said about 2.2 million association members in different government departments refrained from doing routine work to register their indignation over what they termed anti-poor policies of the government.

"In this army-guided government, only generals and other bigwigs can survive. For the common man, life has become a burden," they said. A clerk said frequent increase in prices of petrol and commodities of daily use necessitated a corresponding raise in wages of the salaried class.

The APCA members also held gatherings at different places where association office-bearers, in their speeches, said the low-scale employees were already finding it hard to make their ends meet.