Govt employees end protest after assurance to restore firewood allowance

Muhammad Irshadullah

PESHAWAR: Government employees called off their protest after successful talks with an official of the finance department here on Wednesday.

The employees from hilly areas, including Lower and Upper Chitral districts, had reached Peshawar a few days ago to protest against abolition of the firewood allowance and firewood charges.

They remained camped near the local press club where political and civil society representatives visited them.

Today, a representative delegation of the employees led by former tehsil Chitral nazim Sartaj Ahmad Khan and consisting of All Grand Employees provincial Chairman Saeed Muhammad Shah Badshah, general sectary Wazir Zada, district Dir government teachers association president Bakhtiar Zameen and others held talk with the deputy sectary finance on withdrawing the notification and restoring the old notification on the firewood allowance.

The deputy sectary finance assured the delegation that the demand of the employees to restore the firewood allowance will be fulfilled soon.
After the assurance, the representatives of the employees announced to end their protest.

Later, while talking to ChitralToday, the chairman of the All Employees Grand Alliance Syed Muhammad Shah Badshah said if the government and the fiance department didn’t full fulfil the
genuine demand within 10 days the employees would launch a larger protest.