DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Imams and Khadmeen servants employed under the provincial department of auqaf and religious affairs on Tuesday staged a protest against the non-payment of salaries for the past several months.
The demonstration was organised by the joint council of employees and auqaf in front of the office of the auqaf administrator. The protest was led by council chairman Nadeem Khan, president Abid Shah, general secretary Asad Khan, senior vice president Maulana Bashir and Maulana Akbar.
A large number of imams, employees and mosque attendants from across the province, including Peshawar, attended the protest and staged a sit-in outside the administrator’s office.
Addressing participants, speakers said that salaries of imams, employees and mosque servants had been withheld for the last four to five months despite repeated requests to the authorities. They added that with Ramazan approaching, many employees were facing severe financial hardship.
“The stoves in our homes are cold due to non-payment of salaries,” one of the speakers said, urging the government to immediately release the pending dues.
The protesters warned that if their salaries were not paid without delay, they would expand the scope of their agitation, including locking government offices as part of their protest.
They also called for action against what they described as corrupt officials within the auqaf department.
They demanded immediate suspension of those involved in corruption in the department and a formal inquiry into the scrutiny of appointments made through what they termed unlawful practices. The protesters further called for a transparent audit of expenditures incurred over the past two years and the cancellation of what they described as illegal leases and agreements. The employees urged the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take immediate notice of the matter, ensure payment of pending salaries and order an independent investigation into the allegations.
