PESHAWAR – The locks went on before the demands went out. Employees at the University of Peshawar shuttered the administration department this week, refusing to let it reopen until two months of unpaid salaries finally show up in their accounts.
For the protesting staff, the math has simply stopped working. Two consecutive months without pay have left university employees struggling to cover even basic household expenses, arriving at a time when inflation has already stretched every rupee thin.
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Retirees Left Waiting Longest
If the situation is hard for working staff, it’s harder still for those who’ve already retired. University pensioners say their payments have been stuck for three months running, leaving elderly retirees — many with no other income — unable to meet daily costs.
This isn’t the first time employees have raised the alarm. Protesters say they’ve repeatedly appealed to the provincial government to release funds, only to watch the same promises go unfulfilled month after month.
“No Serious Action” From the Provincial Government
Staff members were blunt in their assessment: the provincial government isn’t treating the university’s financial crisis with the urgency it demands. That inaction, they argue, is what’s pushing employees and pensioners alike into growing hardship, with no clear timeline for relief in sight.
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An Ultimatum, Not Just a Protest
The message from the locked administration block was direct — release the funds now, or face a protest movement that grows from here. Employees have called on the provincial government to immediately disburse funds and guarantee timely payment of both salaries and pensions, warning that continued inaction will only widen the scope of their protest.
For now, the doors stay locked, and the university’s administrative machinery stays still — a standoff that shows no sign of easing until the salaries do.
