ISLAMABAD: Officers belonging to different groups at Pak Secretariat on Tuesday announced to observe a pen-down strike from February 6 against what they said discrimination in grant of the executive allowance.

The decision to observe the strike was made at a meeting of the officers held in the Planning Commission. The participants suspected a deliberate move to delay in the issuance of a notification.

“The finance secretary had informed senior officers that the prime minister had already granted approval that all officers would be given 150 per cent of their basic salary as the executive allowance,” said a senior officer while talking to Dawn.

Former finance minister Mifta Ismail had approved the allowance, 150pc of basic salary, to the ex-cadre officers and those belonging to all groups from the start of the current fiscal year.

However, the notification issued by the finance ministry on July 19, 2022, allowed the facility only to officers of OMG and PAS group, triggering reaction from the officers belonging to other groups.

There are a total of 1,800 officers from grade 17 to 22 in the secretariat, some 1,200 have been granted the raise and only 600 are remaining and as a result protests have been held against the discrimination.

On December 7, 2022, Finance MinisterSenator Ishaq Dar had assured the officersthat the matter would be resolved within a week.

The minister announced at a press conference on January 13, 2023, that the executive allowance will be given to all the 1,800 officers at the rate of 100pc of their basic. But this triggered a sharp reaction from the officers belonging to the PAS and the OMG.

“The prime minister was informed by the officers of OMG last week that Rs2.8 billion had already been allocated for the current fiscal year and all the officers should be given 150pc of the basic instead of reducing their executive allowance,” another officer said.

The officers have forwarded their concerns to the finance minister that if the notification was not issued by February 3, they will resume full-time pen-down strike from February 6.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2023