MURREE: The dismissed employees of Patriata chairlift on Tuesday called off their hunger strike on assurance of MNA Sadaqat Ali Abbasi and MPA retired Maj Latasab Satti of PTI that they would be reinstated in one month.

The chairlift administration had terminated some 18 employees from their service some two years ago for their alleged quarrelsome behavior with the administration.

They protested a number of times in the past and the present elected leadership of PTI had assured them that if they came into power they would restore all of the staffers.

But after coming into power they could not restore them despite more than 14 months in power.

Some four months ago, the dismissed staffers were called by the then deputy commissioner Rawalpindi when the cable car chain slipped from the pulley due to storm, leaving more than 100 people hanging in the air for a whole day.

According to the then DC, the staffers played an important role in rescuing the tourists.

When contacted, Mohsin Abbas Shakir, Manager Administration, Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab expressed ignorance about any such move to reinstate the dismissed employees of Patriata chairlift.

He said if he received any instruction about their reinstatement, the case would be dealt accordingly.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2019