ISLAMABAD: Senator Waqar Mehdi, General Secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh, has expressed concern over the non-payment of salaries and pensions to employees of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) at its Abdul Haq and Gulshan-e-Iqbal campuses. The PPP has pledged to take necessary steps to ensure employees receive their dues.

According to Pakistan Peoples Party, Senator Mehdi has consistently addressed the employees' issues at FUUAST's Karachi campuses in the Senate. He recently wrote to the Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, alerting her and the committee members to the severity of the situation.

In his letter, Senator Mehdi highlighted the impact of prolonged non-payment, which has led employees to stage protests, disrupting academic activities at the university. He noted that the University's Senate and Syndicate are not yet fully constituted. Senator Mehdi also mentioned his meeting with the Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training on July 1 to discuss these issues.

The senator urged that all matters concerning FUUAST be presented before the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training. He requested details on the university's teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as information on the tenure of the University's Senate and Syndicate members. Additionally, he called for a report on the university's funds, government grants, and outstanding financial liabilities to employees.

Senator Mehdi emphasized that timely payment of salaries and pensions is a fundamental right and called for immediate measures to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy to academic activities at the university.