25% pay raise announced for government employees after protests in Pakistani capital

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government on Thursday announced a 25 percent pay raise for federal government employees after holding “successful” negotiations with their representatives, a day after demonstrations turned violent and police fired tear gas at protesters.
Interior minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad, defense minister Pervez Khattak and state minister for parliamentary affairs Ali Mohammad Khan addressed a joint press conference and made the announcement.
“Government has decided to give 25 percent ad hoc relief to all federal employees,” Khattak told reporters, saying the government would also release all arrested employees. 
Khattak said prime minister Imran Khan had also directed provinces to address the demands of provincial government employees.
Thousands of government employees have been rallying in Islamabad to seek a pay raise, an issue the government has been trying to delay until June when the budget for the next financial year will be announced.
The capital administration deployed riot police against the demonstrators on Wednesday and barricaded the entrance and exit of sensitive buildings, including the Parliament House and Secretariat Block.
Negotiations began on Wednesday evening after Islamabad police arrested dozens of protesting employees and fired tear gas shells to disperse them.
A large number of protesters gathered again near the Secretariat Block on Thursday morning, waiting for the government’s announcement.