ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The Employees Welfare Association (EWA), Quaid-i-Azam University, has warned that it will observe a strike if the incumbent treasurer, Zahid Hussain Bokhari, is not transferred by December 16.

Speaking to the general body meeting cum protest held in front of the varsity’s academic block on Monday, the association’s president, Sufi Ghafoor Ahmad asked the vice-chancellor to transfer Mr Bokhari for not facilitating the lower grade varsity employees.

On November 30, the office-bearers of the association, locked Mr Bokhari in his office for four hours after he refused to disburse salaries of the non-teaching staff on the due date, December 1, which was Sunday.

The university employees were demanding of the administration for timely distribution of their salaries to meet the additional expenses of the upcoming Eidul Fitr.

Coming hard on the varsity’s administration for its indifferent attitude towards non-gazetted staff, Sufi Ghafoor Ahmad said: “If the vice-chancellor does not listen to our demands by the said date, the varsity employees will not turn up for their duties and will go on a strike unless their demands are met.”

He said in the past, the university staff used to get their salaries on the last day of the month, but for a couple of years the practice had been discontinued for no obvious reasons.

“As Eid is approaching nearer and people from the low-income group, like ours, need money to celebrate the occasion, but despite repeated requests by the EWA to both the vice-chancellor and the treasurer, the administration has remained unmoved,” Mr Ahmad added.

Crticizing the QAU vice-chancellor, U.A.G. Isani, Mr Ahmad said had Mr Isani been interested in disbursing salaries to the lower grade employees in time, he would have asked the treasurer to do the job, but, he did not take the desired action.

Therefore, with the full endorsement of the general body of the association, it was decided to surround the treasurer’s office not the treasurer himself, he said.

He himself decided to stay inside the office, otherwise, the EWA only wanted to register its concern about the apathetic attitude of the varsity treasurer towards the junior staff, Mr Ahmad said.

Since his posting to the varsity, Mr Bokhari has created uncalled for officialdom in approving bills of the lower staff “Overtime bills, house rent, honorarium, arrears and medical bills are some routine vouchers, but the treasurer is delaying disbursements just to create more problems for the non- teaching staff,” he said.

When contacted the QAU’s registrar, Ikramul Haq, accepted that the EWA was continuously requesting early disbursement of salaries, but due to certain reasons it was not possible to pay salaries on the date.