According to the media reports, the government has increased the pay of government officers by 25%. The decision seems to have been made by the government in haste to appease the protestors. The government should have set up a pay commission to properly assess the amount of raise needed for the government employees and the pensioners. The commission must consider not only the serving employees but the pensioners also. In addition, the government needs to pay special attention to lower cadre employees who bear the brunt of inflation. The high-ranking officers enjoy better salaries and perks. They are less affected by inflation as compared to lower-ranking employees, who have meager salaries with no perks. However, the percentage increase in salaries has quite the opposite effect. While such increases bring a good increase for high-ranking officers, the lower cadre employees end up with increases that are not good at mitigating the effects of rising inflation. Even worst are the poor pensioners, who like this time are either forgotten by the government when announcing pay raises or get raises that are no less than a joke. We must support the weak, who need help the most and are at mercy of a deteriorating economy as compared to strengthening and pleasing those who already are at the top of the food chain.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
