Rescue 1122: Court orders service structure for workers

Authorities told to formulate structure within two months.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to prepare a service structure for Rescue 1122 employees within two months and produce a progress report in court.

The division bench of Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan issued the order to the government while hearing the petition of Ihsanullah, Shakeel and other employees. The court also issued a notice to the government for failing to pay five different allowances to the employees.

The bench told the employees they can file a contempt of court case against the organisation’s director general for harassing them despite clear orders restraining him from doing so. The petitioners’ counsel informed the court that Rescue 1122 was formed in March 2010, but there was still no service structure for its ‘deprived’ employees.

The counsel said there was fresh employment in the organisation that could affect the seniority of older staffers. He said other government employees get various allowances, but the same was not extended to Rescue 1122 workers.

“There are 50% ad hoc, uniform, FATA Disaster Management Authority, Provincial Disaster Management Authority and other risk allowances, but none of these have been given,” the court was told.

The PHC then ordered the provincial government to prepare a service structure within two months and produce a report.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2015.