Pakistan: Police baton-charge protesting government employees in Quetta

Quetta [Pakistan], June 21 (ANI): Pakistan police fired tear gas and baton-charge against protesting members of the Balochistan Employees and Workers Grand Alliance, who wanted to march towards the Chief Minister’s House, according to local media.
Several protesters were injured in the police action.
The protesters who were chanting slogans against the provincial government and police gathered on Monday near Red Zone and started marching towards the Chief Minister House where hundreds of police personnel stopped them and when they tried to forcibly enter Red Zone, the police fired shells of tear gas and used baton charge, Dawn newspaper reported.
The Balochistan Employees and Workers Grand Alliance announced the march towards the Chief Minister’s House for the acceptance of their demands.
The demands include increase in the salaries of employees.
Quoting Haji Habibur Rehman Mardanzai, president of the grand alliance, Dawn reported that he announced the closing all educational institutions and other government offices in Balochistan.
He said that the price hike had created many difficulties for the employees and they cannot fulfil the basic needs of their families in their current salaries.
The data was released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The increase in the weekly inflation is the highest since the change of the base year for measuring the SPI, the Dawn reported.
Pakistan’s former finance minister Shaukat Tarin blamed the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf government’s agreement with IMF for the price hike.
“Despite increasing petrol/ diesel prices by Rs84/115 per litre, power/ electricity prices by 50pc, you have not been able to satisfy IMF. The latest economic survey released by your govt validates our strong economic performance, so stop blaming us and improve performance of your govt,” he tweeted.
In another tweet, he posted a graph for the basic monthly budget of a four-member family which rose to nearly Rs13,000 since March 31, 2022, the Dawn reported. (ANI)