PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday upgraded the pay scales of clerical staff across the province.

Provincial Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had made an announcement in this respect during a function in Nowshera last week.

All Pakistan Clerk Association president Aslam Khan told Dawnthat the pay scale upgradation would benefit around 83,000 employees of the Civil Secretariat, its attached departments and clerical staff of the judiciary in the province and adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

He said under the `Insaf Khushali Package`, pay scale of the ministerial staff would be increased to reduce the gap between haves and have-nots.

The provincial finance depart-ment`s regulation wing issued two separate notifications for the employees of the provincial Civil Secretariat and Civil Secretariat, Fata and its attached departments.

The salary of those currently holding the clerical posts will be fixed in the `higher pay scales at a stage next above the pay in the lower pay scale.

An official in the know said the pay scale upgradation would put an additional annual burden of Rs650million on the provincial exchequer.

The notifications said the basic pay scale of a junior clerk had been upgraded from BS-7 to BS-11, a senior clerk`s from BS-9 to BS-14, an assistant`s from BS-14 to BS-16, and a superintendent`s from BS-16 to BS-17.

Mr Aslam said the government`s decision would benefit around 43,000 employees of BS-7, 17,000 of BS-9 and over 3,300 assistants working in various government departments.

He said the upgradation of thou-sands of clerks had been pending since 2008 despite the fact that the Peshawar High Court had given verdict in favour of clerks.

Mr Aslam said the previous standing committees of the assembly had also recommended upgradation of the clerks` pay scales but the previous government was reluctant to do so.

He said the government should also review pay scale of class-IV employees.