ISLAMABAD, March 30: MNA Marvi Memon of the PML-Q and chairperson of the Pakistan Health Worker Employees’ Association Bushra Arain filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking directives for regularisation of a service structure for lady health workers (LHWs) and withdrawal of cases registered against them. The petition field by Advocate Sardar Abdul Raziq Khan called far a comprehensive service structure ensuring job security and protection to LHWs.

The federal government through the ministries of law and health, the Sindh government through the chief secretary and the provincial police chief are respondents in the petition.

Talking to Dawn, Ms Memon said: “I have approached the judiciary as a last resort after having been disappointed by the parliamentary committee system as well as parliament itself.”

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights took up the matter on Tuesday. The Minister in charge of Human Rights, Raza Rabbani, also attended the meeting.

The LHWs were appointed under the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health initiated by the late Benazir Bhutto in 1994 but their services have not been regularised. Around 112,000 LHWs are working all over the country, 25,000 of them in Sindh.

The Supreme Court ordered the government on Nov 4 last year to increase the minimum wages of the LHWs to Rs7,000 per month, but, according to Ms Memon, they are still being paid a pittance of Rs3,200.

On March 23, protesting LHWs observed a hunger strike and blocked traffic at Chowk Mari, a small village along the Sindh-Punjab border, to press their demand for implementing the verdict and to highlight harassment faced by them during their work.

Police tear-gassed and baton-charged them and booked the LHWs as well as Ms Memon, who was there in support of the workers, under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The parliamentarian’s vehicle and personal belongings, including mobile phone and wallet, were confiscated.

The petitioners have asked the court to order the respondents to implement the minimum wages, withdraw the cases and take action against officials involved in using excessive force against the protesters.

Ms Memon alleged that police were harassing villagers of the area where the protest had been held.