Pakistan(National Time)- ISLAMABAD: Amid the reported “financial crunch” being faced by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the salaries of staffers at the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) secretariat have been slashed by 50%, revealed sources privy to the matter on Tuesday. In addition to this, other perks and privileges, including fuel allowance, of the PTI secretariat employees have been abolished with immediate effect, the sources added. “Salaries of at least 25 employees of the PTI secretariat have been reduced,” it added. Reacting to the reports, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akam said that he was personally not in favour of the suggestion that the salaries be slashed by 50%. The “difficult decision” was made against the backdrop of the party’s frozen accounts and financial crisis, Akram added. He said that staff salaries would be raised again once the situation normalises. The relationship between PTI founder Imran Khan and the establishment started worsening after the ouster of the former from power in April 2022. Later, the May 9 riots — which were triggered almost across the country after deposed prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest in the £190 million settlement case — further widened the difference between the two sides. Hundreds of PTI workers and senior leaders were put behind bars for their involvement in violence and attacks on military installations. During the protests, the miscreants targeted the civil and military installations including — Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. The military termed May 9 “Black Day” and decided to try the protesters under the Army Act. Following the violent protests, scores of party leaders and workers were arrested and tried in military courts. In December last year, the military court convicted 25 individuals and a few days later, handed down sentences to 60 people, including ex-premier Khan’s nephew Hassan Khan Niazi. Later in January, the sentences of 19 convicts were pardoned after their mercy appeals were accepted by Courts of Appeal purely on humanitarian grounds, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), stating that a total of 67 convicts had filed mercy petitions, of which 48 were processed. However, the Imran Khan-founded party expressed dissatisfaction over the pardoning of only 19 convicts as PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan categorically opposed the civilians’ trial in military courts citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in this regard.