Pakistan: Unions shut down Balochistan government workers’ strike as state threatens crackdown
A two-week strike by thousands of long-exploited government sector workers in Pakistan’s Balochistan province was shut down by an alliance of trade unions last Friday following a court order declaring their job action “illegal.”
The strikers, who are confronting menacing threats of state repression, are demanding a pay hike of 25 percent, and allowances like those paid provincial government workers in other provinces. The demand for higher wages resonates among working people across the country, who are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living skyrockets.
QUETTA: A top-level meeting on Wednesday reviewed the pace of work on development projects being executed in Balochistan under the Federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The meeting decided to accelerate the pace of work on the projects to complete them in time. The meeting also reviewed progress on Mangi Dam, Grok Dam and other dam projects.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani stressed the need for completing the projects in time. He said that in the next federal PSDP, water, communications and socio-economic development projects should be given top priority.
The meeting was informed that the PSDP 2020-21 included 194 projects.
The Balochistan cabinet on Monday approved the first digital policy of the province. AFP/File
QUETTA: The Balochistan cabinet on Monday approved the first digital policy of the province. The goals of the 2020-21 policy are to provide e-governance, public access to digital services, provision of cheap, standard and high-speed internet facility, besides promoting Information Communication Technologies (ICT) companies in the province through digital capability, digital economy, software and IT parks.
The government will establish a state-of-the-art centralised data centre.
A meeting of the cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani also approved a bill to amend the rules framed under the Balochistan Tourist Guides Act, 2014, the Balochistan Vaccination Ordinance, 1958, and the Balochistan Education Council, 2021 draft bill with some changes.
QUETTA: The Planning and Development Department has given authorisation of Rs55 billion for carrying out new and ongoing projects included in the Public Sector Development Programme for the year 2020-21.
This was informed during a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani and Chief Secretary retired Captain Fazeel Asghar on Tuesday.
The meeting, held to review the Annual Development Programme 2020-21, was told that out of 1,597 new schemes included in the current year’s PSDP, 1,505 had been approved by the PDWP and DSC, while the finance department had released more than Rs44bn for the new and old projects.