TAXILA, Feb 18: As many as 21 employees including doctors and paramedical staff of Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Hassanabdal went on strike against non-payment of their salaries for the last seven months.

The protesters including two male and one female doctors announced that they would continue the strike till acceptance of their demands. They said the situation had already compelled three of their colleagues - Dr Abid, Dr Haroon and Dr Asad – to quit their jobs.

They said they had been deprived of their salaries since the formation of the new Punjab government on one pretext or the other despite the fact that they had been performing their duties regularly. They said due to step-motherly attitude of the district and Punjab governments officials, they were being denied their salaries in sheer violation of basic human rights.

When contacted, an official of the district health department said these doctors and paramedical staff had been appointed by former district nazim during a ban imposed on appointments by the provincial government. He said sanction for the recruitment was not taken from the provincial government and, therefore, funds could not be sanctioned for their salaries.

An insider claimed that the appointments were made on “political” ground.

Yatrees leave Taxila

About 100 Sikh yatrees, who had arrived here on Tuesday to offer religious rituals at Gurdwara Punja Sahib Hassanabdal, left for Nankana Sahib on Wednesday to attend the main event of Saka Nankana Sahib anniversary to be held on February 21.

Evacuee Property Trust Board deputy administrator (shrines) Faraz Abbas told reporters that arrangements have been made to provide facilities to the Sikh yatrees so that they can perform their religious rituals without any problem.

The Sikh devotees departed from here under strict security measures. Talking to newsmen, the pilgrims said such people-to-people contacts could ease tensions and strengthen relations between India and Pakistan.