ISLAMABAD: Retired and serving employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have demanded 100 per cent increase in their salaries and pension.

Dr Mansoor Ahmed, Patron-in-Chief of the Pims Retired Employees Welfare Association, stated that the soaring prices of essential commodities had made survival extremely difficult, and even arranging two meals a day had become a challenge for ordinary people.

He said salaried employees and pensioners should be given substantial tax relief, while the minimum salary and pension should be increased by 100 per cent. He said that health workers always stood at the forefront during earthquakes, pandemics such as Covid-19, wartime situations and natural disasters, performing their duties day and night.

“Despite working 24-hour shifts, the salaries and pensions of health employees remain very low and should be brought at par with other government institutions,” he said.

The association’s General Secretary Haji Mohammad Hanif said that pensioners were struggling to survive solely on their pensions with no other source of income. He urged the government to announce at least a 100 per cent increase in pensions in the upcoming budget to help pensioners cope with rising living costs.

Press Secretary Malik Tanveer Noshahi criticised the disparity in salary increases, stating that it was beyond understanding why the IMF does not object when salaries of senators, speakers, chairmen, federal ministers and judges were increased by 600 per cent.

“But when it comes to poor employees and pensioners, the government claims it must seek IMF approval. This is discrimination unjust and unacceptable,” he added.

The office-bearers of the association also appealed to President Asif Zardari to suggest to the government to consider the hardships faced by poor employees, pensioners and the general public.

They also urged authorities to control inflation and prices of daily-use items, revise taxation policies and ensure justice for government employees and pensioners.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2026