Retired Officials Protest in PoJK for Increased Pensions Amid Inflation

Retired Officials Protest in PoJK for Increased Pensions Amid Inflation/ANI

Dil Bar Irshad | May 28, 2024 | 04:16 PM IST | Breaking News, Pakistan News, POJK, Protests | Follow on Google News

Retired Officials Protest in PoJK for Increased Pensions Amid Inflation

Retired Officials Protest in PoJK for Increased Pensions Amid Inflation

Key Highlights:

1. Retired officials in PoJK demand higher pensions and medical benefits.
2. Protests led by former PoJK PWD Secretary Mushtaq Awan in Muzaffarabad.
3. JKJAAC announces resumption of protests with eight key demands.

Several retired government officials from various departments staged a protest on Monday in front of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat of Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in Muzaffarabad. The demonstrators demanded urgent approval of increased pensions in response to the rising inflation. The protest was led by Mushtaq Awan, a former secretary of PoJK’s Public Works Department (PWD).

The retired officials also sought medical benefits similar to those available to officials in Pakistan’s Punjab Province. Mushtaq Awan criticized the government for labeling pensions as a burden, pointing instead to corruption within the government as the real issue. “Their acts of corruption are often caught and they are proven guilty and even then they are not questioned,” Awan stated. “When we ask for the rights of our well-deserved pensions after serving PoJK for our entire lives, we are rejected.”

Awan highlighted the contributions of these officials during disasters like floods and landslides, emphasizing their demand for pensions adjusted to current inflation rates. Despite repeated requests and notices, Awan said the officials’ pleas have been ignored by the government, including the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and PoJK.

This protest follows a series of demonstrations in May, which were temporarily halted after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a relief package for PoJK. However, local leaders from the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) have announced the resumption of their protest campaign in Muzaffarabad starting May 27, due to unmet demands.

The JKJAAC’s demands include the transfer of all hydropower projects, including the Mangla Dam, to the PoJK government. They also call for PoJK to be declared a load-shedding-free zone and for the establishment of a judicial commission comprising high court judges to investigate corruption within the PoJK Food Department.

(Inputs from ANI)

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.