KARACHI: The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (Fapuasa) has demanded immediate approval of the long-pending policy of Basic Pay Scale (BPS) promotion and withdrawal of a recent Sindh government’s notification on reducing pension.

In a statement released on Friday, Fapuasa President Prof Mazhar Iqbal demanded: “The Higher Education Commission (HEC) immediately approve and implement the long-pending Basic Pay Scale (BPS) promotion policy. The delay, despite an agreement reached in 2023 with the HEC, continues to thwart career progression, leaving over 55,000 faculty members without a clear promotion path.”

This situation was causing widespread demoralisation across the public sector universities, he added.

Highlighting the urgency of fair and transparent promotion processes, Fapuasa Vice President Prof Akhtiar Ghumro and General Secretary Fareed Achakzai regretted that the HEC had been ignoring country-wide protests of university teachers.

The representatives demanded that the commission call a meeting on this subject “without further delay” and deliver on the “written commitments made with the federation”.

They also condemned the Sindh government’s recent notification reducing pensions from 65 per cent to only 15 per cent of the last drawn salary, terming it a regressive and unlawful measure that violated the contract under which employees served the state.

“This sudden and drastic cut undermines the financial security of retired teachers and researchers, stripping away the very incentive for which many had chosen public sector academic careers.

“Coupled with the earlier imposition of a contributory pension scheme under the Sindh Civil Servants (Amendment) Act, 2024, this move dismantles the long-standing safety net that ensured dignity after retirement,” Prof Ghumro said.

On behalf of the federation, he demanded immediate restoration of the old pension system, while expressing solidarity with Fapuasa-Sindh in their struggle to protect employees’ rights and revive the traditional pension scheme.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2025