Thousands of employees regularized, NA told

A special parliamentary committee has reinstated and regularized services of thousands of government employees, according to a report submitted to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly Special Committee for Affected Employees chaired by MNA Qadir Khan Mandokhail was formed on October 12, 2022 to sort out issues of employees in various government departments and corporations.

According to its report, the committee held 57 sittings and ordered various departments and corporations to regularize or reinstate various employees. On the instruction of the committee, the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) reinstated 37 of its sacked employees.

The Pakistan Tobacco Board regularized services of six of its contractual employees; the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) regularized 18 such employees while the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) regularized the services of 558 employees.

The Pakistan Broadcasting Service reinstated 1,020 employees with all perks. The Ministry of Health extended the contract of eight doctors; the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab regularized services of six employees; the National Highway Authority regularized 2,100 employees.

The Motorway Police regularized services of 21 employees; the Pakistan Television (PTV) regularized services of 852 employees while the Employees Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI) regularized services of 51 employees.  The Ministry of Water Resources and Tarbela Power Station respectively reinstated 43 and 17 employees.

On December 22, 2022, the special committee issued an across the board directive to all ministries, divisions, corporations and autonomous bodies to regularize the services of contractual, daily wages, and contingent employees in 15 days.

The committee observed in its directive that all those employees, who entered into service on contract, daily wages, or contingent basis by November 30, 2022, in any government department across Pakistan were eligible to be regularized.

The departments were directed to scrutinize the cases of contractual employees on their own and submit a compliance report to the committee within 15 days. The committee also banned fresh hiring till the services of all contractual, daily wage and contingent employees were regularized.

It also directed all the ministries to resolve issues of pay fixation and seniority of restored employees in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.