LARKANA: In protest against non-payment of salaries for the past 17 months, employees of the Larkana Development Authority (LDA) on Wednesday pitched a tent at the main gate of Jinnah Garden.

Hanging dried bread in their necks, they urged Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to intervene in the matter and order for releasing their salaries.

Protesters Nazeer Chandio, Mumtaz Bukhari, Akhtar Sandelo and others told reporters that the LDA was the dream of Benazir Bhutto to develop Larkana division. But unfortunately the following governments turned it non-functional, they said.

During the government of Benazir Bhutto in 2012, the LDA was made functional with the induction of 272 employees, they said. Even then the institution remained unstable as it was ignored and had never received regular budget to keep its matters running, they alleged.

Despite a scrutiny carried out thrice and inquiries conducted five times, the employees were exonerated from charges of any anomalies. Still the then rulers kept the issue on back burner, the protesters said.

Now 17 months had elapsed, but they were not paid salaries, they said and questioned for which crime they were being punished.

They appealed to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other authorities to take notice of their plight and ensure release of their 17-month salaries so that they could celebrate Eid with their families with dignity.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2021