Salaries left pending

This letter refers to the news reports ‘Vaccinators seek release of pending salaries’ (November 5, 2024) and ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers to enjoy increased perks, privileges after new bill’ (November 5, 2024). According to the former report, “Vaccinators from the Integrated Health Project (IHP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday urged the provincial government to release their salaries, which have been withheld for the past 29 months”. As per the latter, “KP ministers will receive Rs1 million for renovating government-provided housing. The bill also allows provincial ministers to purchase carpets, curtains, air conditioners, and refrigerators for their homes.”

How can any government withhold an employee’s salary for 29 months? It is imperative that the KP government prioritise paying the unpaid vaccinators before spending taxpayers’ money on ministerial perks. My refrigerator has been working fine for 16 years, and I plan to use it until it stops working.

Syed Hussein El-Edroos

Islamabad