Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Senate standing committee on information and broadcasting has expressed resentment over giving an incorrect briefing at a meeting by the Executive Director (ED) Lok Virsa in connection with new appointments and exploitation of serving employees.

The interesting situation emerged on Monday when senator Kamil Ali Agha, chairman standing committee on information and broadcasting while taking a suo moto notice on Robina Khalid, women member of the committee took an unambiguous and categorical stance on the matter of exploitation of old employees of Lok Virsa.

Robina Khalid said that the present ED, Lok Virsa, Fouzia Saeed, while subjecting the old employees to her policy of victimisation and revenge enrolled dozens of employees and she has started retrenching old employees. It is unjust and a tyrannical order. Salaries are not being disbursed to the employees. The pensioners are left stranded. The employees are being degraded in the name of inquiries.

When the ED Lok Virsa, Fouzia Saeed, tried to brief the committee about her stance, the chairman Committee Kamil Ali Agha said: ” There are countless reservations about you. Your own appointment is controversial as it is said to have been made against the norms of merit. On the other hand you have given wrong statement before the committee which is not tolerable.

He expressed surprise that on one hand there are Supreme Court and High Court orders that new appointments be not made and on the other side these orders are being defied blatantly. Dozens of new employees have been appointed on contract basis and old employees have been expelled.

The Chairman Committee directed the secretary information Saba Mohsin, that a detailed briefing be given to the committee at the next meeting about Lok Virsa that what all s going on therein and what is likely to happen in future.

How many employees have been sacked and how many new employees have been recruited. The committee be briefed about the pension issue and the appointment of the serving ED.

State minister for information, Maryam Aurangzeb, assured the committee she would personally monitor Lok Virsa affairs and details would be provided at the next meeting of the committee. The members of the committee have demanded of the ministry of information to take notice of the matters related to promotion of favourite employees and victimization of non favourite people at Lok Virsa.

Fouzia Saeed appointed 58 employees on a contract basis and salary amounting to over Rs 1.2 million is being paid to them monthly. Five among the protesting employees were sacked. The employees who were terminated included Haroon, Shaukat, Zaman, Wajid, Athar and Nadim Shah. Recommendations are being worked out to sack other five employees.

The inquiry committee constituted to probe into the matters consists of such officers against whom an inquiry is under way at the NAB and the FIA. These officers cannot become members of any inquiry committee.