Report by Jabbar Solangi

KARACHI, May 16: Sindh Governor Syed Nihaal Ahmed Hashmi on Saturday declared engineers and doctors as “the backbone of any progressive society,” assuring the technical community that their longstanding demands would be taken up with the relevant authorities while urging professionals to play a stronger role in steering the country toward development and stability.

He was addressing a large gathering of engineers and doctors at the Awards Distribution Ceremony organized by Medical and Engineering Graduates Welfare Association of Sindh at the Muhammad Siddiqui Memon Scouts Auditorium in Saddar.

Speaking before a packed hall comprising senior engineers, doctors, academics and technical professionals from across Sindh, Governor Hashmi emphasized that both professions were indispensable for the survival, sovereignty and advancement of modern nations.

“Engineers design, build and sustain the critical infrastructure such as roads, dams, power systems and digital networks that drive economic growth and national security. Doctors safeguard our most vital asset, human life and public health. Without strong engineering, a country cannot connect, produce or defend itself. Without strong healthcare, a nation cannot learn, work or thrive,” he observed.

Referring to the Charter of Demands presented by MEGWAS leadership, the governor termed the demands justified and assured participants that the matter would be raised at the appropriate forums.

“Your demands are justified. I will take them up at the concerned quarters,” he said, adding that technical professionals must channel their expertise towards strengthening national institutions and accelerating development. “Pakistan must move onto the path of the development it urgently requires so that we stand alongside developed nations,” he remarked.

Governor Hashmi stressed that the long-term strength of any society depended upon how it treated its technical workforce.

“For societies to advance and for nations to remain sovereign, both professions must be empowered, respected and retained. Their expertise ensures innovation, disaster resilience and effective crisis response. The development of Sindh and Pakistan is directly linked to the dignity, stability and institutional authority given to doctors and engineers,” he said.

The governor also described technical allowance as a legitimate right of engineers and doctors, saying the country could not achieve sustainable progress without addressing the professional and institutional concerns of its technical community.

During the ceremony, the Governor of Sindh conferred Lifetime Achievement Awards upon 20 distinguished engineers and 20 eminent doctors in recognition of their outstanding professional services and contributions to society and nation-building.

Among the award recipients were Engr. Prof. Dr. Abdul Ahad Abro, Engr. Prof. Dr. Sarosh Hashmat Lodi, Engr. Syed Abdul Qadir Shah, Engr. Dr. Syed Raghib Abbas Shah, Engr. Prof. Dr. Faizullah Abbasi, Engr. M. Najeeb Haroon, Engr. Saindad Khan Solangi, Engr. Jamil Gul Shaikh, Engr. Waseem Ahmed, Engr. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tufail, Engr. Prof. Dr. Saleem Raza Samo, Engr. Brig.(R) Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abbas, Engr. Prof. Dr. Vali Uddin, Engr. Prof. Dr. Shehnila Zardari, Engr. Prof. Dr. Syed Madad Ali Shah, Engr. Prof. Dr. Afzal Haq, Engr. Madani Arfat Ahmed Siddiqui, Engr. Manzoor Ahmed Memon, Engr. Khadim Hussain Bhatti, Engr. Prof. Dr. Rasool Bux Mahar, Dr. Muhammad Saleh Memon, Dr. Prof. Syed Adibul Hasan Rizvi, Dr. Anwar Naqvi, Dr. Altaf Hussain Hashmi, Dr. Capt (Rtd.) Rahim Bux Bhatti, Dr. Zeenat Isani, Prof. Dr. Mumtaz Maher, Prof. Dr. Tariq Mehmood, Prof. Dr. Noshad Ahmed Shaikh, Prof. Dr. Nadeem Qamar, Dr. Syed Sajjad Hussain, Prof. A. Sattar M. Hashim, Prof. Dr. Maqsood Anwar Noorani, Prof. Dr. Khurshed Noorani, Prof. Dr. S.M Tariq Rafi (T.I), Dr. Samrina Hashmi, Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, Dr. Sanaullah Abbasi, and Prof. Dr. Amjad Siraj Memon.

The award recipients were recognized for their exceptional services in engineering, medicine, education, research and public welfare. Their contributions were acknowledged as instrumental in strengthening professional ethics, promoting technical excellence, mentoring younger generations and advancing social responsibility in their respective fields.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honours distinguished professionals whose lifelong services have left a deep and lasting impact on society. The recipients are widely respected for their integrity, expertise and commitment to public service. Through their dedication, they have strengthened educational institutions, guided young professionals and supported newcomers in building ethical and successful careers. Their contributions continue to uplift communities through the promotion of knowledge, opportunity and professional excellence.

The ceremony also marked the foundation day celebrations of MEGWAS. Governor Hashmi cut a cake commemorating the 29th anniversary of the association, established on May 21, 1997, to promote the welfare of engineers and doctors and contribute towards broader societal development.

Earlier, MEGWAS leadership presented an eight-point Charter of Demands highlighting what they described as structural inequities faced by technical professionals in Sindh.

The charter demanded parity in technical allowance with the federal government and other provinces, direct induction of engineers and doctors into Grade-17, a transparent and time-bound promotion system, allocation of land for professional townships in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur, and an end to the appointment of non-specialist CSS officers to key technical positions.

Other demands included dedicated funding for MEGWAS, appointment of qualified professionals as heads of technical and medical institutions, and restoration and expansion of government accommodation facilities for engineers and doctors.

Speaking on the occasion, MEGWAS Patron-in-Chief Engineering Syed Momin Ali Shah, Patron-in-Chief Medical Dr Shafquat Hussain Abbasi, Founder President Engr Abdul Jabbar Solangi, and others highlighted the central role of engineers and doctors in nation-building and called for urgent institutional reforms to stop the growing brain drain of technical professionals.

They observed that engineers and doctors were playing a pivotal role in infrastructure development, healthcare delivery, education, research and economic growth, but continued to face administrative neglect and policy discrimination despite their contributions.

The ceremony concluded with a renewed pledge by MEGWAS leadership to continue its struggle for the professional rights, welfare and institutional recognition of medical and engineering graduates across Sindh.

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Read: CM Engineer, Yet Engineers Get No Allowance

The post Technical Allowance is a Fundamental Right first appeared on Sindh Courier.

By Ramesh Raja

Engineers are nation builders and the invisible backbone of development. Engineers stand at the center of national progress. Every bridge that connects cities, every dam that stores water, every highway that drives trade, and every power system that keeps industries running exists because of engineering expertise. They design, supervise, and maintain the entire physical and technological infrastructure of a country.

From Mangla and Tarbela Dams to modern motorways, from energy grids to telecom networks, Pakistan’s development story is deeply tied to engineers. Their work also extends to urban planning, disaster management, environmental protection, and defense infrastructure. Without engineers, sustainable economic growth and modern public services would simply not exist.

Globally, this importance is well recognized. Countries like the United States, Germany, Japan, China, and Gulf States treat engineers as high-value professionals, offering them competitive salaries, risk allowances, research incentives, and structured career growth. Engineering is not just a job in these systems, it is a strategic national investment.

The Nature of Engineering Work: Responsibility, Risk, and Pressure

Engineering is often misunderstood as a routine government profession, but in reality, it is one of the most demanding and high-risk fields in public service.

Engineers are responsible for structural safety, design accuracy, cost estimation, contract management, and field supervision. A single miscalculation can result in bridge collapse, dam failure, industrial accidents, or loss of human lives. Unlike many administrative roles, engineers carry direct technical and sometimes legal liability for their decisions.

Their working environment is equally challenging. They operate in flood-affected regions, deserts, mountainous terrain, construction sites, and emergency situations. They are frequently required to work under extreme weather conditions, tight deadlines, and 24/7 crisis situations such as floods, infrastructure failures, or power breakdowns.

This combination of technical accountability, field hardship, and public safety responsibility makes engineering a uniquely demanding profession.

Global Practice: Why Technical Allowance Exists Worldwide

In many developed and developing countries, governments formally recognize the hardship and responsibility of engineering through special financial incentives.

In India, engineers in central engineering services receive technical allowances often linked to basic pay. In Gulf countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, engineers working on mega projects receive site allowances, hardship allowances, housing, and transport benefits. In the United Kingdom, engineering professionals working in field conditions are compensated through structured allowances. Even in Europe and North America, licensed engineers enjoy higher pay scales, professional premiums, and career-based financial progression.

Pakistan’s demand for Technical Allowance is therefore not unusual. It is aligned with international practice where technical expertise and field risk are formally compensated.

Technical Allowance in Pakistan: A Long-Struggle for Recognition

In Pakistan, engineers have long demanded a Technical Allowance to bridge the gap between their responsibilities and compensation. The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has consistently raised this issue, describing it as a decades-old demand and a matter of professional justice.

The issue gained formal institutional attention through parliamentary forums, particularly after discussions in the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology in May 2026, where implementation across Pakistan was recommended. Earlier, the Standing Committee on Government Assurances had also pushed for implementation of engineering allowances in federal departments.

The allowance structure that emerged in different government notifications is generally based on 1.5 times the initial basic pay of the BPS-2017 scale, making it a significant financial recognition of engineering services.

Provincial Implementation: A Tale of Uneven Progress

The implementation of Technical Allowance across Pakistan has been uneven, reflecting institutional and financial disparities among provinces.

Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have implemented the allowance more systematically, with engineers receiving regular payments in major technical departments. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have also extended similar benefits.

However, Sindh and Balochistan remain areas of concern. Although approvals have been reported in both provinces, full and consistent implementation is still lacking. In Sindh, despite cabinet-level approval, engineers continue to face delays and partial or irregular payments in certain departments. In Balochistan, implementation is also inconsistent, often constrained by budget limitations and administrative delays.

Sindh and Balochistan: The Question of Equity and Professional Respect

The continued non-uniform implementation in Sindh and Balochistan has raised serious concerns within the engineering community. Engineers working in these provinces are performing the same technical, field-based, and safety-critical duties as their counterparts elsewhere, yet their financial recognition differs.

This disparity has created a perception of institutional inequality. It is particularly noteworthy that in Sindh, where leadership includes individuals with technical backgrounds, engineers still await consistent recognition of their professional demands. Such inconsistencies affect morale, retention, and the overall efficiency of public sector development work.

Federal Implementation and Remaining Gaps

At the federal level, several departments including major engineering organizations and infrastructure bodies have implemented Technical Allowance following Finance Division notifications issued in 2019. However, gaps still remain in autonomous bodies and some ministries where engineers continue to seek uniform application of policy.

Parliamentary oversight committees continue to monitor compliance, but full standardization across all federal entities is still in progress.

Beyond Allowance, a Question of Professional Justice

The demand for Technical Allowance is not merely about financial benefit. It represents recognition of technical responsibility, field risk, and the critical role engineers play in national development.

While progress has been made through parliamentary support, PEC advocacy, and provincial reforms, the persistence of disparities; particularly in Sindh and Balochistan; highlights the need for a unified national policy.

Ensuring uniform implementation across all provinces and federal departments would not only restore professional equity but also strengthen engineering institutions, improve motivation, reduce brain drain, and ultimately accelerate Pakistan’s development trajectory.

Engineers are not just service providers. They are builders of the nation’s future, and their recognition must reflect the weight of that responsibility.

Read: Thar Coal and the Community Rights

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Engr. Ramesh Raja is a civil engineer and managerial/ planning professional who also contributes as a freelance writer on technical matters. He may be reached at engineer.raja@gmail.com

The post CM Engineer, Yet Engineers Get No Allowance first appeared on Sindh Courier.