MANSEHRA: A strike by employees atthe Upper Kohistan district headquarters hospital against non-payment of salary on Friday entered fourth week to the suffering of visitors.

“Doctors, paramedics, nurses and other staff members of the DHQ hospital, which functions under non-governmental organisation Nida Pakistan, have not received salary for the last six months. We are striving to resolve this issue,” deputy commissioner of Upper Kohistan Tariq Ali Khan told reporters.

Visitors said women and children were the worst affected by the strike, as they didn’t have access to any medical treatment or diagnostic services. They criticised the NGO for not paying employees regularly and said the government should act over the organisation’s failure to fulfil commitments.

The visitors complained about the denial of basic health services for several weeks.

Deputy commissioner Tariq Ali Khan said he engaged local MPA Fazl Haq to persuade the striking employees to resume work but that effort didn’t result in a long-term solution.

“I have now held talks with the medical superintendent of the hospital and convinced him to ensure that the protesting staff calls off the strike,” he said.

Mr Khan said he hoped employees would resume emergency services by Saturday and restore all services by Monday.

DIFFERENCES IN PPP: The provincial leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party on Friday took note of differences between its divisional and district bodies in Hazara region.

“We don’t want to see our party suffer from internal rifts, so both sides should avoid issuing aggressive statements against each other,” PPP provincial general secretary Shujah Salim Khan told a joint meeting of the divisional and district bodies here.

PPP divisional president Malik Farooq had removed district president Malik Mumtaz and two other office-bearers earlier this week. However, Mumtaz claimed he still held the top party position in Mansehra.

PPP provincial general secretary Khan called a meeting of both groups and urged them to set aside their differences. He said that such conflicts would weaken the party in Hazara division.

He announced that all three office-bearers, including the president, general secretary and vice president, would retain their respective positions.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025

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