KARACHI: The long-standing issue of unpaid pensions and post-retirement dues for retired faculty and staff of the Federal Urdu University remained unresolved, despite repeated assurances from government officials.

Last month, during a protest outside the Governor House, Federal Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and MNA Aminul Haque had assured the demonstrators that their pensions would be released immediately.

According to a statement, in solidarity with Kashmir Day, the retired faculty and staff decided to postpone their planned protest rally.

However, they strongly condemned VC Dr Zabta Khan Shinwari’s defiance of the federal minister’s directives as he had only approved the release of a single month’s pension, out of six months outstanding.

During a meeting following the protest, retirees denounced a ban on their assemblies as a violation of their constitutional rights and warned that if the restriction was not lifted, they would be forced to hold their meetings on University Road.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025