SWABI/LOWER DIR: Members and workers of All Pakistan United Irrigation Employees Federation in a meeting in Swabi on Saturday unanimously rejected the contributory pension plan for the public sector employees and demanded the government to reverse its decision in this regard.

Besides, in a statement issued in Lower Dir the All Government Employees Grand Alliance also condemned certain changes to the pension rules.

In Swabi, the meeting was presided over by provincial president of the federation, Abid Hussain Shewa.

The federation’s members claimed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had passed a law under which the previous pension facility was abolished and the mechanism of contributory pension had been introduced.

The participants demanded the government to restore the pension as was under the 1973 Constitution, increase the house rent at the ratio of inflation, adjust the medical allowance according to increased prices of medicines, devise service structure for field staff of irrigation and provide various other facilities to them.

Abid Husain said that the system of contributory pension had only been introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while allother federating units and the federal government had maintained theold pension system.

Other participants said that PTI government had been victimising the local employees.

In Lower Dir, the public sector employees on Saturday demanded the provincial government to exclude a clause in the finance bill for amending pension rules for them.

In a statement issued here, All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) provincial president Syed Mohammad Shah condemned the amendment and announced to stage a protest against it.

He urged the government and especially the chief minister to ensure that the spousal pension amendment would be withdrawn within next few days.

Mr Shah warned that the employees would stage protests in front of press clubs in all districts of the province on June 28 if the government failed to reverse the pension amendments.

He added that thousands of government workers would also rally in front of the former PM Imran Khan’s house inBanigala if their demand was not accepted.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2022