ISLAMABAD, June 13 Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will hold a meeting with chief ministers of the provinces on June 17 to decide the fate of hundreds of federal government employees who face an uncertain future because of abolition of the concurrent list, an official told Dawn on Sunday.

Following the abolition of the list, some federal ministries like the health, education, housing and environment, will be dissolved and their departments merged with the provincial departments concerned.

It is expected that a number of employees of federal ministries and their organisations may be merged into the provincial set-up and the rest will be placed in a surplus pool.

The government has announced that issues related to the merger of the federal into provincial departments and future of their employees will be settled in a year, but a feeling of insecurity is prevailing among hundreds of officials.

A Transition Commission headed by Senator Raza Rabbani was set up on May 4 to resolve the issues emerging due to the elimination of the concurrent list.

The commission comprises Rehmatullah Kakar of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Ishaq Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Abdul Razaaq Thaheem of the PML-F, Afrasyab Khatak of the Awami National Party, Aftab Sherpao of the Pakistan People's Party-S, Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Dr Abdul Malik of the National Party.

Housing Minister Rehmatullah Karar said the chief secretaries of the four provinces and members of the commission would also attend the meeting.

Separate meetings will also be held in the provincial capitals later.

The centre has asked the provinces to complete their homework for the merger of departments and employees into the provincial set-up and the transition commission is also working on the issue.

An official said the employees not adjusted in provincial departments would be sent to the surplus pool and then transferred to fill vacant posts in the federal government.