PESHAWAR: On the call of Provincial Civil Service Officers Association (PCSOA), about 700 officers from across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata observed a two-hour token strike on Tuesday to protest ‘discrimination and victimisation’ in postings and promotions.

The strike call was given by the association on Monday after a meeting where the participants discussed provincial officers’ problems vis-à-vis the federal bureaucracy posted in the province.

On Tuesday, all the provincial officers attended their duties while wearing black armbands and observed a token pen-down for two hours from 10am to 12pm.

It is for the second time in less than a year that provincial officers are on strike. In August last year, provincial officers went on a strike, which came to an end after KP chief secretary Amjad Ali Khan met and assured them of addressing their concerns.

However, most of the provincial officers believe ‘victimisation and discrimination’ against provincial bureaucracy has increased after that strike. “Almost all active and competent officers from BS-17 to BS-21 have been victimised in one way or the other on account of biased inquiries,” an official requesting anonymity told Dawn.

He said the case of PCSA vice-president and North Waziristan Assistant Political Agent Fahd Ikram Qazi was a good example of the discrimination, whose entry into the agency was banned by the political agent.

“The high ups even did not bother to ask him (political agent) how he can stop a government official from performing his duties,” the officer said.

The protesting officers are demanding quick resolution of the PMS vs PAS case, which is pending before the provincial assembly’s law reforms committee.

The token strike is scheduled till Monday next, with the PCSOA office-bearers threatening to go on a pen-down strike throughout the province and Fata if their concerns were not addressed by that time.

Another officer requesting anonymity told Dawn that such a strike would cripple the government at a time when it was busy in budget making process.

In Lakki Marwat, on the call of PCSOA, the officers of provincial management service (PMS) observed a token strike on Tuesday.

The PMS officers, wearing black armbands, observed the symbolic pen-down strike for two hours from 10am to 12pm. An official said the strike was being observed for acceptance of their demands.

He said the PMS and PCS officers faced discrimination in postings, promotions and trainings, demanding that the government should immediately resolve the case between PMS and PAS officers.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2016