Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Like many previous meetings, the Senate Standing Committee of the Cabinet Secretariat in its meeting on Thursday could not find any solution regarding the daily wages employees of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) cardiac Centre and the Federal General Hospital Islamabad.

The committee met under Senator Muhammad and Talha Mahmood. It expressed annoyance over the failure of the authorities concerned to resolve the issue of the daily wages employees of these departments.

Capital Administration and Development Division (CA&DD) Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also joined the meeting. The committee members participants staged a walkout and also threatened of holding a press conference against Chaudhry as he was continually ignoring the committee directions to attend the meeting.

The committee members and daily wages employees were of the view that the minister was an obstacle to resolving the issue of the employees.

During the meeting’s proceedings, Chaudhry demanded for an in-camera session with the members and chair of the committee. However, the session also ended without any solution.

Senator Talha asked how was it impossible to adjust 2200 daily wages employees of the FDE.

While speaking on recruitment tests from these daily wagers, which is a proposed option by the FDE and CA&DD authorities, Senator Khush Bakhat said that it was very discriminatory with these employees to conduct their tests for jobs as they were serving the teaching profession for over 16 years.

To conduct tests means that these teachers are not eligible for this job who by self are conducting tests from their students for years, said Senator Bakhat adding that such a proposal was totally illogical.

On this, the minister sought guidance for a solution from the committee member. Senator Kamil Ali Agha said that instead of giving the issue a political touch, it should be resolved on priority basis.

Sentor Shahi Syed said that every government is part of the public, the public is not the government’s part. So, the long pending issue of the wretched employees should be resolved.

While highlighting the issue of nine doctors of PIMS cardiac centre, the committee said that they were the doctors who laid foundation of the cardiac centres.

At the end the issue of Federal General Hospital’s nurses was also discussed. On this, Minister Chaudhry said a summary in this regard had been forwarded to Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif for approval and hopefully it will be come back soon.

It is pertinent to mention that there are 2250 daily wages employees of the FDE serving for the last many years. The issue of their absorption is hanging in the balance despite the various court verdicts in favour of these employees.

Moreover, the names of 496 employees of the said strength have been published in the Gazette of Pakistan.

As per sources, Minster Chaudhry is a barrier to resolving this issue. They said that the minister intended to adjust his own people on these slots for getting the goodwill of his constituency people.