QUETTA: Negotiations between the provincial government and the employees of the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) failed to make any progress with the BDA workers refusing to end their hunger strike until regularisation of their employment is notified, it has emerged.

On Saturday, a delegation comprising provincial Minister for Agriculture Zamarak Khan Piralizai, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Quetta Development Authority Bushra Rind, MPA Mir Rasheed Baloch and Special Assistant to the CM Arbab Umar Farooq Kasi met the protesters at their camp which they have set up outside the Quetta Press Club for the last couple of days.

Urging the protesters to call off their hunger strike, the delegation said that Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani had approved the release of their salaries which had been pending for the past six months along with the formation of a committee headed by the Balochistan chief secretary to prepare a report about resolving their issues. The report would be submitted to the chief minister.

Balochistan CM approves payment of salaries to workers pending for six months

The contractual staff members of the BDA were unmoved by these overtures, and said they had been employed in Balochistan Development Authority for several years and “until their service was regularised” their hunger strike would continue. Unable to break the deadlock, the delegation sought more time from the protesters and said they would get back to them.

Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Nawabzada Lashkri Raisani visited the camp and said his party would support the protesters until their demands were met.

Earlier, opposition parties in the Balochistan Assembly had also pledged their support to the protesting BDA employees.

Some leaders of the opposition parties met the protesting BDA employees on Friday and assured them of their support. They called upon the government to accept their demands.

The meeting which was presided over by opposition leader Advocate Malik Sikandar Khan discussed various issues, including the matter of protest by BDA workers.

Public Accounts Committee chairperson Akhtar Hussain Langove, Mohammad Akbar Mengal, Ahmed Nawaz Baloch, Nasrullah Zerey, Molvi Noorullah, Asghar Tareen and other members of the opposition parties attended the meeting.

The meeting expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of the protesting BDA employees. They urged the provincial government to regularise the services of the BDA’s contract employees.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2019