ISLAMABAD: Despite rain large number of employees of Capital Development Authority (CDA) continued their protest demonstration on Wednesday, seeking release of Eid allowance. Their protest disrupted official business.

The employees of civic agency have been receiving Eid allowance since 2006. However, this year, CDA management on the direction of federal government decided not to release this allowance as part of austerity measures.

To this, employees started protesting stating that like every year, they were all set to do eid shopping from this allowance, but all of a sudden the CDA management stopped it, putting employees mainly low grade in great trouble.

The protest was organized by CDA Mazdoor Union led by General Secretary Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin.

Addressing to employees, Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin said that Eid Allowance is a settled relief for employees, which was approved by CDA board in 2006 and since then employees were given the allowance in every Ramazan.

He said that halting this allowance would be a great injustice with employees, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi should look into this issue.

CDA’s member administration Talat Mahmood held talks with the leadership of employees union and informed them that CDA management were planning to release this allowance, but due to austerity drive, this allowance was stopped.

Member administration said that because of austerity drive, CDA members and other officers are also using 50pc petrol while use of officials vehicles had also been reduced in accordance with directive of the federal government.

“We are all employees and we should think about our beloved country,” he said.

The member assured employees that management will take up this issue with federal government again and requested them to disperse.

Upon his assurance employees called off their strike on Wednesday at 1pm.

On the other hand due to protest, the official business remained disrupted almost throughout the day.

Later, in the evening, some employees on social media circulated a couple of notification, showing that two private persons were hired for “media campaign and making TikTok of some officers” for six months in Shaheen Chowk project and besides salaries they were also given Eid Allowance.

Whereas, in second notification, they pointed out that 12 CDA employees associated with the Administration Wing were also given ex-gratia.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2026