April 23, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 16, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 22: Fede-ral Minister for Labour, Man-power and Overseas Pakistanis Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah has ordered regularisation of service of more than 600 contractual employees of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation.

Presiding over a meeting of the OPF board of governors here on Tuesday, the minister directed that the service of all teachers and administrative staff who had served for at least two years in the foundation should be regularised.

About 350 teachers of schools and colleges run by the OPF and 250 other employees will benefit from the order.

The minister also approved an increase in the salary of staff of OPF educational institutions.

He said an allowance of Rs5,000 per month would be paid to senior teachers.

Sources claimed that former minister for labour, manpower and overseas Pakistanis Ghulam Sarwar Khan and some OPF officials had prepared a plan to fire all contract employees and prepared lists for fresh recruitment.

The process was halted after about 300 employees approached the Lahore High Court and the case is pending with its Rawalpindi bench.

Mr Shah said the OPF would set up eight public schools, one medical college and eight trauma centres.