UoB and campuses shut down over unpaid salaries and administrative issues

QUETTA(6 AM Report): The University of Balochistan and all its sub-campuses were closed on Wednesday as the Joint Action Committee of Jamia Balochistan organized a protest sit-in outside the university’s main gate to resolve the non-payment of salaries for the last three months and other long-standing issues.
The protest sit-in was held under the chairmanship of Officers Association Chairman Nazir Ahmed Lehri, and it eventually turned into a blockade of Saryab Road, which lasted for several hours.
The protestors presented resolutions, including amendments, promotion to officers and employees, elected representation in policy-making institutions, up-gradation, overtime, and other legitimate demands. They strongly condemned the provincial and central government’s irresponsibility and negligence in managing the university’s financial and administrative crises, stating that it has pushed the University of Balochistan into a dire situation.
The teachers, officers, and employees of the university have been protesting in UoB, demanding solutions to their problems. They announced a complete lockdown and boycott of classes and all examinations in Killa Saifullah, Mastung, Pishin, Law College, and City Campus Quetta.
The speakers demanded that the provincial government allocate 10 billion rupees for annual grants-in-aid to University of Balochistan and other universities, while the central government should allocate at least 500 billion rupees in its annual budget of 10 thousand billion rupees for recurring budgets of universities across the country to urgently resolve the current crisis.
The speakers also demanded that the provincial government provide a bail-out package of 2 billion rupees, and the central government should provide 3 billion rupees. The protesters assured their support for the university and hoped that the authorities would take strict action to address their grievances. The public representatives expressed concern over the situation and called on the provincial and federal governments to take immediate measures to resolve the issues faced by the university. They assured their full cooperation in this regard.