THATTA, Dec 5: Three retrenched employees of the PTCL, whose reinstatement orders had been issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan recently, threatened here on Monday to commit self-immolation outside the Thatta press club if the court orders were not implemented.
Mehfooz-ur-Rahim, son of Abdul Mateen, Absar Ahmed, son of Jalaluddin, and Kabeer Ahmed Qazi, son of Shabbir Ahmed, told journalists that despite completing three years in regular service, the PTCL authorities had terminated the services of twenty employees, including telephone operators, UDCs, cleaners, watchmen, linemen, TMW, battery men and naib qasids from grade one to 16 for getting recruited during the ‘ban period’.
The affected employees were affiliated with the Southern Telecommunication Region V in Sukkur and STR-I in Hyderabad.
They challenged their termination in the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, by filing a common constitutional petition.
The court in its judgement announced on April 28, 2004, disposed of the petition in favour of the employees.
The general manager of the STR-V in Sukkur, on behalf of the PTCL, filed a civil petition in the Karachi bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The apex court retained the orders of the SHC.
The three employees, all telephone operators, said that the STR-V reinstated only three terminated employees while the remaining 17 were running from pillar to post to get their jobs back.
The employees said that they were facing starvation.
Accusing the PTCL authorities, they said the authorities were building pressure to tend them to be exhausted to get illegal gratification.
The employees provided copies of the court orders and all relevant papers for verification and satisfaction of journalists.
VOLUNTEERS’ DAY: A seminar was organized here on Monday on the 21st International Volunteers’ Day by the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) at the Makli badminton hall.
The seminar praised volunteers’ services throughout the world, appreciated efforts of the volunteers in Thatta, particularly in the fields of education and health.
NCHD district general manager Mehfooz Bhatti, Fahim Abbasi, Khuda Bux Behrani, Rizwana Palijo and Naeem Chandio spoke on the occasion.