PESHAWAR: Employees of the University of Peshawar on Monday staged a protest demonstration outside the press club here against the non-payment of salaries and pensions for the past two months, urging the provincial government to immediately release funds to resolve the financial crisis the varsity was facing.

The protest was led by University of Peshawar Employees Association president Abdul Malik, Class-IV Union president Imdad Khan and sanitation staff president Lazar Maseh.

Speaking on the occasion, the protesters said Class-III, Class-IV and sanitation employees, along with pensioners, had been facing severe financial difficulties due to delayed salaries and pensions.

They claimed that employees had not yet received salaries and pensions for May, while 50 per cent of April’s pension payments were also still pending.

The protesters said the repeated delays had disrupted household finances, with some employees struggling to meet daily expenses, facing difficulties in paying school fees and losing access to informal credit arrangements.

They said the University of Peshawar had been facing financial and administrative challenges for several years and timely payment of salaries and pensions had become increasingly uncommon.

According to the employees, the university administration had failed to address the issue, while the provincial government had not taken effective measures to resolve the institution’s financial problems.

They further alleged that a summary sent by the Higher Education Department for the release of funds remained pending, reducing hopes for an early solution.

The protesters said that university employees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were among the lowest-paid public sector workers and had also been deprived of several allowances, including Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA-2022), the 15 per cent allowance and DRA-2025.

They said some allowances that employees had been receiving before the 18th Constitutional Amendment had also been discontinued.

The protesters urged the provincial government to release the required funds for May and June salaries and pensions to avoid further agitation. They warned that continued delays could force employees to launch a pen-down and work boycott campaign.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026