SWABI: Government employees on Sunday regretted that while parliamentarians had been regularly increasing their perks and privileges, their pensions were first curtailed and were now going to be done away with altogether.

Speaking to Dawn on condition anonymity, employees working in various departments deplored that the ruling elite had pushed the country into economic turmoil, devouring all vitals of the state during the last 75 years.

Teachers of different cadres said that the federal ministry of finance had applied different cuts to pensions. They said the government had abolished multiple emoluments and it was declared that instead of last basic pay now the pension would be calculated on the average salary drawn over the last two years of service.

“With the drastic cuts in pension, the little charm left in the public sector jobs has vanished,” said an English teacher, who is retiring in June. “More and more youth looking for greener pastures is because they have no hope of finding a decent job in Pakistan. In recent years the brain drain has accelerated,” he noted.

A senior official of the health department said that the pension benefits were curtailed under a well-planned strategy.

Amjid Khan, provincial general secretary of Malgary Ustazan, a teachers’ wing of Awami National Party, said that the government’s decision on pension had alarmed the employees. He said employees across the country were expected to start a protest campaign soon.

“A meeting of public sector employees has been convened in Peshawar next week to chart a future course of action,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2025