BESIDES terrorism, inflation/unemployment has become one of the gravest problems for the people. According to a careful estimate, the inflation rate for May 2013 has been 5.13 per cent.

Although the new government has announced a 10 per cent increase in the salaries of government employees after a hue and cry, I want to draw the government’s attention to the apathy of high-ups towards daily wage-earners of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), commonly known as Radio Pakistan.

The daily wages of the casual Urdu news translators working in Radio Pakistan should amount to Rs450 a day. However, a tax of around six per cent is being deducted from the daily wages of each translator.

This deduction is against the law because the annual income of the daily wage earners does not fall in the tax slab of Rs400,000 annually. As one of the Urdu news translators at Radio Pakistan, I appeal to the government to take immediate measures against the deduction of taxes from the non-taxable income of the translators.

In connection with the 10 per cent increase in the income of regular employees, the wages of daily earners should also be increased with the same ratio.

If the government really believes in justice for all, and I believe so is the case, the grievances of the Urdu news translators must be resolved at the earliest.

SALMAN AHMED QURESHI, Casual Urdu News Translator, Radio Pakistan Headquarters, Islamabad

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