PESHAWAR: Sacked employees of different public sector departments have requested the Supreme Court to review its verdict about their termination and reinstate them to save their families from financial crisis.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, they said that while giving its verdict on a pending case from 2012 the Supreme Court had declared the Sacked Employees (Reinstatement) Ordinance Act, 2010, illegal and unconstitutional, which led to the sacking of over 16,000 employees of different departments and corporations in the country.

“This decision has caused us serious mental torture because it will create financial problems for thousands of employees who are already suffering due to inflation and Covid-19 pandemic,” they said.

Sharing details, All Pakistan Sacked Employees spokesperson Atlas Khan said over 16,000 educated people had got jobs on the basis of their qualifications in different public sector departments across the country in 1996, who performed well after completion of their essential training.

He said the employees were sacked in 1997 when Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was in power.

However, these employees were reinstated in 2010 during the Pakistan Peoples Party government. He said a case in this regard had been pending since 2012 in the Supreme Court, which declared the Sacked Employees (Reinstatement) Ordinance Act, 2010, illegal and unconstitutional and as a result over 16,000 employees lost their jobs.

“Most of the sacked employees are over 50 years of age and unable to get any other job to support their families,” he said and added that their children studying in different educational institutions would be unable to complete their education due to financial issues.

He asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to pay heed to their demand on humanitarian basis and help reinstate them otherwise thousands of families would face serious financial problems.

“We will move to the Supreme Court with a request to review its verdict,” he said. The sacked employees also held a demonstration outside the press club and shouted slogans in support of their demand.

They said the premier had already announced to give jobs to millions of people and he should save them from starvation.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021