Govt employees rally against pension cuts

ABBOTTABAD: Government employees staged a massive protest in Abbottabad under the “Save Pension Movement,” organised by the All Government Employees Grand Alliance.

The rally, which began at Government High School No 3, moved through the city and concluded with a demonstration at the press club.The protesters, including employees from various provincial and federal departments, demanded the reversal of pension cuts and reinstatement of employee benefits.

Chanting slogans against the government, they condemned policies influenced by the IMF and called for reducing perks and salaries of parliamentarians instead of targeting lower-income employees.

Leaders such as Zulfiqar Abbasi, Dr Moazzam Khan Jadoon and others warned of nationwide protests if their demands were not met.“We will not tolerate the elimination of pensions and benefits,” said one of the protesters, stressing the need for a return to the old pension system.

Carrying placards with their demands, protesters vowed to continue their struggle and warned against pushing their peaceful movement toward unrest. They urged the government to address their grievances to avoid escalation.