QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has asked striking government employees to call off their sit-in and hold talks with the parliamentary committee formed by him to find out a solution to the problem.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, he said the employees posted in Quetta were enjoying a good package and facilities which were not available in other areas of the province.

Mr Alyani said the employees living in Quetta and working in Civil Secretariat should not make such demands. The government had not refused to consider the employees’ demands but promised to set up a committee to find out the solution to their problems, he added.

The chief minister said the government employees had converted their sit-in into a political show and all political parties were using their platform for making provoking speeches.

He said if the employees, instead of turning their protest into a political show, tried to resolve the matter through negotiations with the government the situation would have been quite different.

He said the government would resolve all genuine issues of striking employees.

Mr Alyani said the government exercised restraint and did not take action and get any case registered against anyone or sent the striking employees to jail.

He said the employees should now call off their protest and hold talks with the parliamentary committee and reach a solution acceptable to both sides.

Meanwhile, no headway was reported in the negotiations between the government and leaders of the employees who have been staging the sit-in for the last 10 days near the Red Zone in the provincial capital.

The protesting employees took out rallies in Quetta and other towns and cities of the province on Wed­nesday, in which thousands of workers, including female teachers, participated.

They marched on various roads and streets and chanted slogans against the government. Heavy contingents of police, anti-terrorism force, Levies and Frontier Corps personnel were deployed at all entry points leading to the Red Zone in Quetta.

While speaking at the rally, leaders of the Balo­ch­istan Employees and Wor­kers Grand Alliance Abdul Malik Kakar, Dad Moham­mad and Habibur Rehman Mardanzai announced that they would continue their protest until the acceptance of their demands.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2021