Balochistan paralysed as government's pay inequality triggers widespread worker protest

Balochistan [Pakistan], January 14 : Mass protests by provincial government employees demanding fair wages entered their second day on Tuesday, bringing major highways across Balochistan to a standstill.

Demonstrators, rallying under the collective banner of the Balochistan Grand Alliance, halted traffic at several key routes, deeply affecting the daily movement of commuters and transporters, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

According to The Balochistan Post, the protest leaders staged road blockades a day earlier in Khuzdar, Lasbela, Qila Saifullah, Naseerabad, Noshki and Panjgur. Similar shutdowns were witnessed in Kalat, Pishin, Loralai, Dalbandin and Pasni. Long queues of stranded vehicles resulted as frustrated residents struggled with the prolonged disruptions.

The alliance, an umbrella organisation consisting of employees from numerous government departments, has been jointly agitating for seven months, demanding that the provincial administration implement a 30% Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA). The allowance aims to close the wide salary gaps between workers of the same grade posted in different state institutions.

Alliance chairman Abdul Qudoos Kakar criticised the Balochistan government for refusing to implement the DRA, pointing out that the federal government and other provinces have already approved it.

Calling the demand a basic necessity amid soaring inflation, he argued that employees serving in the Governor's House, Chief Minister Secretariat, Assembly Secretariat, Civil Secretariat and the High Court receive considerably higher salaries, while equally ranked workers in other departments remain underpaid. A government committee that endorsed the allowance has also been ignored, he stated, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post.

The protest campaign has been structured in phases. After a three-day closure of government offices during the first stage, workers have now moved to province-wide road blockades scheduled until January 14. This will be followed by a complete Balochistan shutdown on January 15 and a continuous sit-in near Quetta's Red Zone from January 20 onward.

Kakar stated that any government crackdown would prompt employees to shut down all state offices and begin a "jail bharo" (court arrest) movement. Several political parties have backed the employees, urging the provincial authorities to settle the matter through dialogue rather than confrontation, as reported by The Balochistan Post.

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