July 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1429

SKARDU, July 21: On the call of Northern Areas Contractors Association president Asfar Jan, the contractors in Baltistan have stopped work in Skardu and Ghanche districts to protest against nonpayment of escalation funds to them by the government.

The suspension of work has rendered thousands of daily-wage workers jobless.

A large number of contractors on Monday staged a sit-in at Alamdar Chowk here to press for their demands and vowed to continue their strike until these were met.

Talking to this correspondent, the protesters said contractors in other parts of the country were enjoying escalation funds after the hike in prices of construction material, “but the contractors in Northern Areas were still deprived of this right which is unjust and unfair”.

They said normally, the government paid escalation money on five per cent increase in rates of construction material, but the Northern Areas contractors were not being paid these funds despite 15 per cent increase since 2005.