Several retired government officials from various departments staged a protest on Monday in front of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat of Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in Muzaffarabad. The protestors demanded an urgent increase in pensions to match the skyrocketing inflation rates.
The demonstration was led by Mushtaq Awan, a former secretary of PoJK’s PWD. In addition to demanding higher pensions, the protestors called for medical benefits equivalent to those available to officials in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.
During the protest, Awan criticized the government, saying, “They claim our pensions are a burden, but it is their corruption that truly burdens us. Despite being proven guilty of corruption, they face no consequences. After serving PoJK faithfully, especially during disasters like floods and landslides, we are now left to suffer with no one listening to us. We demand our rightful pensions adjusted for inflation. Our repeated pleas to the general secretary, PM of Pakistan, and PM of PoJK have gone unheard.”
Earlier in May, PoJK witnessed massive protests when the administration ignored public demands for over 10 months. The four-day protest ended when Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a relief package for PoJK. However, local leaders from the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) have announced the resumption of their protest campaign in Muzaffarabad starting May 27.
The JKJAAC has put forward eight key demands to halt their protests. These include transferring all hydropower projects, including the Mangla Dam, to the PoJK government, declaring PoJK a load-shedding-free zone, and establishing a judicial commission of high court judges to investigate corruption within the PoJK Food Department.