PESHAWAR: Employees of different government departments have demanded the provincial government to increase their conveyance and house rent allowances to provide a financial relief to them. They held demonstrations in several cities and rejected the contributory pension plan for the public sector employees.

In Peshawar, the employees held a demonstration outside the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday and said the provincial government should take them on board about its pension reform policy to avoid complications.

Speaking on the occasion, All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, chairman Mohammad Shah and general secretary Wazir Zada urged the government to regularise services of all the ad hoc employees.

`The government should change its ad hoc policy and provide jobs to quali-fied people on regular basis so they could focus on their duties instead of taking out protest rallies for acceptance of their demands,` they said.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with their demands, the protesters said that the federal government was frequently increasing prices of petroleum products, electricity and natural gas and the salaried class was unable to lead life with honour in the prevailing situation.

`We will observe a sit-in outside the residence of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan in Banigala if the provincial government does not take immediate action for resolution of our problems,` the employees` leaders warned.

In Lower Dir,hundreds of government workers on Tuesday boycotted their offices and staged a protest rally against the KP government for its proposed amendment to pension rules, merging medical allowance in the Sehat Insaf Card and increasing tax on their salaries.Led by AGEGA provincial chairman Mohammad Shah, the protesters marched on the road near Timergara Press Club and chanted slogans against the government for its anti-employees policies.

They rejected the contributory pension plan for the public sector employees. The protesters also briefly blocked the Timergara-Chitral road to traf fic at the Shaheed Chowk.

In Lakki Marwat, AGEGA officebearers arranged protest demonstrations for acceptance of their demands in Lakki Marwat and Bannu on Tuesday.

InBannu,theschoolofficers`association president Dost Mohammad Khan said that abolition of pension and medical allowance was not acceptable to the government employees.

In Swabi, unions of teachers of educational institutions, including colleges, staged a joint demonstration against abolition of pension by the government and its plan for contributory pension..