THATTA: The Sindh Employees Alliance (SEA) has announced that it will hold a large-scale ‘historic’ sit-in outside Bilawal House on Oct 6 in Karachi in protest against pension cuts and other government policies affecting provincial employees.

Addressing a sit-in outside the Deputy Commissioner Office in Makli on Wednesday, SEA central chairman Haji Ashraf Khaskheli said the protest would continue unless the government reversed what he termed its “anti-employee policies”.

Rejecting dialogues with commissioners, ministers or committees, Mr Khaskheli insisted that negotiations would only be held with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and chief secretary. “The era of small-level talks is over. We will talk to the chief minister and chief secretary and not to anyone else,” he said.

Mr Khaskheli accused the provincial leadership of corruption, claiming that its focus on “self-interest” had led to the adoption of employee-hostile policies. Issuing a stern ultimatum, he said: “We will tire the Sindh government, but we will not get tired because this is a matter of our life and death. If the CM does not follow the directives of his party chairman, we will block the roads to Bilawal House. Let the government do what it has to do then.”

He also claimed that nearly 600,000 government employees would join the Oct 6 sit-in, describing it as a “turning point” in the workers’ struggle.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2025