KARACHI: The retired teaching and non-teaching staff of the Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology (FUUAST) held another protest over non-payment of pension and other post-retirement dues outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday.

They chanted slogans against the university administration, which, according to them, has not paid their pension amount for the past five months, despite having funds in the university’s account while other dues are pending since 2017.

The protesters also marched to the Sindh Governor House, where they rang the “Bell of Justice” installed outside, pleading with the governor to intervene and ensure that their rights are granted.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Tausif Ahmed Khan, convener of the Committee for Retired Teachers and Non-Teaching Staff at FUUAST, highlighted their concerns. “During the tenure of Vice Chancellor Professor Zabta Khan Shinwari, the university has become a textbook case of financial mismanagement. The Vice Chancellor himself admitted in writing before the Federal Ombudsman that the university has funds exceeding 600 million rupees, which have been invested in profit-earning schemes. Yet, these funds remain inaccessible for paying employees their due arrears and pensions.”

Dr Khan further claimed that the investments made in previous years have almost grown to over Rs1billion but the amount remains unused for resolving the financial crisis faced by the retirees.

“The Vice Chancellor has blatantly ignored the orders of Federal Ombudsman. Moreover, this critical issue was not even included in the syndicate meeting’s agenda, demonstrating not just a lack of justice but a blatant disregard for court directives.”

The protesters said they were facing various issues at their homes due to non-payments of pensions and many were suffering from health crisis.

Amid the protest, Muttahia Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Aminul Haque contacted Dr Khan over the phone and assured him that immediate steps would be taken to release “two months’ of pensions.”

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025