Employees of the federal government locked the entry and exit gates of the Pakistan Secretariat on Thursday in protest of their demands not being met. Following the failure of their talks with the government, the employees decided to lock the Pakistan Secretariat, prompting them to take drastic measures in order to press the government to agree to their demands. Previously, federal government employees staged a sit-in in the finance ministry and negotiated for five hours with senior finance ministry officials, but the negotiations failed. It was learned that heavy police contingents were deployed in Islamabad to prevent any untoward situation, despite continuous sloganeering by federal government employees who had gathered in large numbers. Work at federal ministries, as well as other departments and divisions within the Pakistan Secretariat, was halted due to government employee protest. Officers and other federal government employees were unable to reach their offices due to the Pakistan Secretariat’s closure of the entry gates. It should be noted that federal government employees have been protesting for three days in order to demand a raise in their salaries and allowances due to high inflation, as well as the acceptance of other demands.