Security Threat: Employees Suspend Protest Rallies, Sit Ins

Government employees in Attock district on Wednesday suspended their protest rallies and sit-ins after the district police officer (DPO) apprised them of a potential security threat

ATTOCK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2023) Government employees in Attock district on Wednesday suspended their protest rallies and sit-ins after the district police officer (DPO) apprised them of a potential security threat.

The threat alert was issued by the district police in a notification to the leadership of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) and All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) local chapter. The notification stated that "recently some threats have been received which reveals that elements pertaining to hostile intelligence agencies with the intention of carrying out sabotage at any place in circulation. Therefore, the possibility of concurrence of any unpleasant incident during the protest of government employees cannot be ruled out."

The advisory further stated that "the teachers' union should be bound not to hold any kind of protest in public or open places or roads where there is a security risk by gathering or in the form of groups in order to avoid any untoward incident".

Following the advisory, Malik Muhammad Afzaal, President of All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) and the President All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) Attock chapter President Malik Zahid Mehmood in their separate notification notifications to their protesting members, instructed them to suspend mass protests and sit-ins at public places.

As a result, there was no mass protest or sit-in observed in Attock on Wednesday. Academic activities in all Primary, middle, high male as well as female schools and colleges at all six tehsils of the district were also suspended on the fourteenth day. No academic session was conducted in any school and staff remained present in their respective schools observing pen down strike.

The protesting employees are demanding the restoration of their salaries and allowances, which were slashed by the caretaker provincial government in an austerity drive. They have also warned that they will continue their protest till their demands are met.