LAHORE, Nov 27: The Punjab leadership of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) on Tuesday started a two-day sit-in in front of Chief Minister’s Secretariat to seek a notification of the facilities already given by the Centre and other provinces to their low-grade employees.

According to Punjab APCA President Haji Irshad, who was leading the sit-in, members of the community were also holding similar sit-ins in front of all DCO offices all over the province. And if a notification of the facilities was not issued within 48 hours, all of them would be called to Lahore for a greater agitation. The chief minister would solely be responsible for the unrest, he said.

APCA is demanding notification of the facilities for all government employees from BS-I to 16, including TA/TDA, conveyance allowance, upgradation of the posts of stenographers, personal assistants and private secretaries and regularisation of contract employees.

Before staging the sit-in, APCA held a meeting at Davies Road’s Agriculture House urging the provincial government to immediately notify the facilities which had already been accepted by the federal government and given by all other provinces to their employees.

Later, hundreds of members of the body marched towards the 7-Club Road secretariat office of the chief minister. Police tried to intercept them but in vain.

Carrying placards and banners, the agitating workers raised spirited slogans against the government for its failure to accept their demand.

The sit-in was continuing till in the night, and Haji Irshad said it would end only after the issuance of the desired notification.

He said some officials of the secretariat had come to negotiate, but the APCA leadership declined saying the matter had already been agreed upon by an official committee around a month ago. Now only the notification was required.