‘12,000 retired municipal staffers remain unpaid since 2018’

Over 12,000 retired staffers of Karachi’s civic and municipal agencies have not received a single penny under their gratuity payments and provident funds since 2018, Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani was informed on Tuesday.

Provincial assembly opposition leader Ali Khurshidi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) told Ghani during a meeting at the former’s office in the PA building that these retired staffers belong to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation and the Karachi Development Authority.

Khurshidi said the provincial government should ensure that these dues are paid to the aggrieved former municipal staffers at the earliest. The meeting also reviewed the overall political situation of Sindh, and the civic problems in the urban parts of the province.

The opposition leader also suggested solutions to the persistent water shortage and vehicular traffic issues in Karachi. The LG minister assured him that his proposals to resolve the city’s civic issues would be implemented.

The meeting was also attended by MQM-P parliamentary party leader in PA Iftikhar Alam, deputy parliamentary party leader Taha Ahmed, and MQM-P MPAs Najam Mirza and Moeed Anwar.