Local Santa Claus rendered jobless

A daily wage worker, Shaukat was fired when nominated as councillor on reserved seat

ISLAMABAD: Shakeel Shaukat and his children were the symbol of the Christmas spirit for a lot of children visiting different churches in Rawalpindi. Shaukat would buy gifts and dress up as Santa to hand out gifts and food on the holiday.

However, this year, the Christmas cheer seems to have deserted him, as he is jobless and unhopeful.

Just a few months ago, Shaukat was nominated as councillor from NA-52, Union Council-109, on a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) seat reserved for minorities.

Shaukat was employed as a daily wage worker with the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Punjab at that time and was earning Rs14,000 a month. With his nomination came the media coverage and after his picture appeared in the media, he was fired from his job.



Unfortunately for Shaukat, daily wage workers are not considered regular government employees and are not issued a proper appointment letter or any contract letter detailing any terms and conditions regarding the job. Hence, when Shaukat was let go, he had no other avenue to turn to and suffered a great shock.

The shock turned into depression, and the stress of being unemployed led to him having a paralysis attack, rendering his right side motionless.

“Although being a councillor is an authoritative and lucrative job for most people, for me it has just made it difficult to make ends meet,” said Shaukat while talking to The Express Tribune.

After losing his job, he could not pay the rent of his house located in Dhok Kala Khan and he had to shift to his parents’ house with his wife and four children.



“Owing to a severe shortage of money, I have fallen behind on the house rent, my children’s school fee and the utility bills to the point where I had to move back into my parents’ house,” he lamented, adding that he was behind on two months’ rent for his house, amounting to Rs18,000.

Shaukat is now employed as sanitary worker with a private organisation, earning hardly Rs9,000 a month.

“The nominal amount I am being paid is barely enough in this day and age of inflation and I am finding it impossible to run the house,” he said.

He was still perhaps the most affected by the fact that he would not be able to buy new clothes or shoes for his children on Christmas, nor will he be able to buy Christmas presents or treat for his family and others that would benefit from his generosity.



“I am really sad that this year in addition to not being able to buy presents, my wife will not even be able to cook the special chicken biryani she cooks every year to mark the Christmas festivities,” he said.

Shaukat is now considering giving up the post and trying to get his old job back. “For me feeding and educating my family is far more important than being on this post,” he said.

When PML-N MNA Malik Abrar — who is also the chief of the PHA — was contacted in connection with the issue, he said he was not aware of it and that he would look into the matter.

“To the best of my knowledge, a government employee cannot take part in the elections, but I am not sure whether or not this rule applies to daily wage workers,” he said.