Government employees in Pakistan’s Islamabad staged a protest, urging for salary reforms and service structure inclusion in the upcoming financial plan. The protest, held before the presentation of the 2026-2027 fiscal year budget, saw employees gathering at Secretariat Chowk with plans to march towards Parliament House. The protesters, including female and male employees from various public sector departments and pensioners organizations, aimed to hold a sit-in until their demands are met.
The All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) chief organiser, Rehman Bajwa, declared that the protest would persist until their demands are addressed. The employees’ demands encompass the merger of ad hoc relief allowances into basic pay, introduction of a revised pay scale for 2026, and a 50% salary increase for those earning less than PKR 50,000 monthly. Additionally, they seek a 200% rise in conveyance, medical, and house rent allowances, among other requests.
The employees are also advocating for a 30% disparity reduction allowance, removal of the 25% tax slab for teachers and researchers, and regularization of daily-wage and contract employees. They are pushing for the reinstatement of employment quotas for deceased employees’ families and a minimum monthly wage of PKR 50,000 for government staff. The employees highlighted the impact of inflation on their purchasing power, emphasizing the challenges in managing household expenses with limited incomes.
