Peshawar University staff demand federal control amid salary, pension crisis

Peshawar [Pakistan], January 11 (ANI): The joint action committee of the University of Peshawar's teaching and non-teaching employees has accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of failing to manage the affairs of the province's leading higher education institution and has demanded that the university be placed under the administrative and financial control of the federal government, as cited by a Dawn report.
The demand was made during a protest held over the non-payment of December salaries and pensions to university employees. According to Dawn, the joint action committee comprises representatives of the Peshawar University Teachers' Association (PUTA), administrative officers, Class IV and Class III staff, and sanitation workers. The committee convened a general body meeting at the university's administration block, chaired by PUTA president Zakirullah.
Participants expressed deep concern over the delayed payments and unanimously passed a resolution stating that the provincial government had failed to efficiently handle the university's financial and administrative matters. The meeting demanded that, in the larger interest of students and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the University of Peshawar (UoP) should be returned to federal control, Dawn reported.
The joint committee warned that if salaries and pensions were not released immediately, the protest would intensify. The employees threatened to boycott academic and administrative activities, holding both the university administration and provincial government responsible for any disruption, according to the Dawn report.
PUTA president Zakirullah said it was "a joke" that the 75-year-old institution had failed to pay salaries and pensions on time, leaving employees and their families distressed. He urged the provincial government to amend the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012, arguing that the province lacked the will to resolve the university's worsening financial crisis. He also noted that pension commutation had not been paid to employees who retired in 2024, calling it a fundamental right.
As part of the protest strategy, staff announced a partial boycott of classes if dues were not cleared within a month, warning that a complete shutdown could follow if demands remained unmet, Dawn reported.
A senior university official said that persistent delays in payments stem from a severe financial crisis, with the university currently facing a Rs1.5 billion annual deficit. He stated that the university requires Rs5.5 billion annually but is only able to generate Rs4 billion through federal grants, student fees, and other sources. The deficit, he added, continues to widen and has "paralysed" university operations, with an estimated Rs2 billion needed urgently to stabilise finances.
The official also highlighted reductions in Higher Education Commission (HEC) grants over recent years, even as expenses continue to rise, particularly due to annual salary increases. He questioned how the university could maintain academic standards and research quality when it struggles to pay its own staff, as noted in the Dawn report. (ANI)