Salary delay dampens Christmas celebrations of sanitary workers.

ISLAMABAD -- As Christmas is just around the corner, a poor sanitary worker in the federal capital can only dream of fulfilling the wishes of his children and family.

Sanitary workers of the federal capital, mostly Christians, are still protesting for the payment of their 6-month awaited salary.

Just like what the Muslims do before Eid, Christians are also eager to shop for their families and make arrangements well in time for the Christmas festivity.

Instead of shopping and making preparations for the holy day, the sanitary workers these days have been seen protesting outside Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) Office for payment of their pending salaries. Unfortunately, for now, CDA and MCI have failed to deliver. Instead, the authorities are seen pointing fingers at each other.

Talking exclusively with The Nation, Mayor Islamabad Anser Sheikh stated that the CDA was solely responsible for the issue regarding the salaries of sanitary workers. According to him, the Metropolitan Corporation was lacking funds owing to the delay in payments by the CDA and the federal government. And because of the delay in payments by the CDA, the salaries of sanitary workers are being held.

Sheikh further elaborated that they were never responsible for the payment of salaries to the sanitary workers as it was allocated by the CDA and not by them. 'There is no funding. The federal government and CDA have stopped paying us. How can we give salaries to the workers if we have no money?' said Mayor Islamabad.

In addition, the mayor...