KP govt to increase employees’ salaries by 25pc: Barrister Saif

MANSEHRA: Advisor to Chief Minister for Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif on Thursday said that the provincial government was ready to increase its employees’ salary by 25 percent as proposed in the federal budget.

“We have no hesitation and are ready to increase the salaries of our employees by 25 percent. We will soon summon the provincial assembly’s session to get its node first,” he said. He was speaking to reporters at the residence of Babar Saleem Swati, the Khyber Assembly speaker. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf provincial deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati and Dr Iftikhar Zaidi were also in attendance.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had raised the salaries of employees by 10 percent in the budget. “The austerity measures, which our government has taken to bring the economy on track, have been proven to be fruitful, but the federal government is withholding our electricity and water’s arrears worth billions of rupees,” he added.

He said that the pensions and salaries were the biggest liabilities of the provincial government and his party was going to end post-retirement financial benefits for the public sector employees to be appointed henceforth. “We have finalised a memorandum of understanding with the microfinancing entity of Akhuwat to give away interest-free loans to 100,000 youths throughout the province,” Saif added. He maintained that the money, which would be given away to youths as loans, would be provided by the provincial government to Akhuwat.

“Imran Khan is categorically opposed to holding talks with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement. IF we indulge in parlays with those corrupt parties, it means we have been deviating from our political faith and ideology,” he added

The chief minister aide said that his party and Jamiat Ulema-i- Islam Fazl were following the same narrative of the broad-scale rigging in the February 8 general elections. “Although we don’t wage a political war jointly, our mission and objectives are the same,” he added.