ISLAMABAD: Bill to givelegal coverto employees regularised by a cabinet subcommittee headed by Syed Khursheed Shah some two decades ago, is yet to be tabled in the National Assembly as Mr Shah, mover of the bill, is indisposed, and since he will submit the bill in the house, the employees were told to wait for his recovery from the illness.
The employees include 2,000 gazetted officers, doctors, nurses, teachers and others.
During the PPP government from 2008-13 tens of thousands of employees, working on contracts, were regularised by a cabinet committee. Around 5,000 of them were gazetted officers or in BPS 16 and above. As majority of them retired now around 2000 including doctors, teachers and others are still in service.
In September 2024, some of the employees approached the Supreme Court to settle seniority issue and other benefits, but the apex court directed the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) to re-evaluate the regularization of federal government employees hired by a cabinet subcommittee.
The court’s order requires the FPSC to conduct tests and interviews to determine the eligibility and fitness of these contractual employees, though the process has faced delays due to incomplete information from various organisations.
On March 9, 2025, the Establishment Division issued an order under which all ministries and divisions started working to send regularised employees to FPSC.
However, after months of deliberation, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee for Cabinet, approved a bill moved by Syed Khursheed Shah, to protect the employees and sent the matter to parliament for a decision. Committee directed that there will be no adverse action against these employees till the final decision by the parliament.
The committee, chaired by MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed, also directed to protect the rights of the employees as they had been working for the last 15 to 20 years and providing essential services to a large community with dedication.
For last three weeks, the private member bill, moved by Syed Khursheed Shah, could not be included in the agenda items for the discussion.
Employees have contacted the PPP leaders including Raja Pervaiz Ashraf but have been told that that Mr Shah will himself table the bill. On the other hand Mr Shah is indisposed and will have to travel to Islamabad to table the bill.
Dr Jabbar Bhutto said that the approval of the amendment bill for the protection of employees will not increase government expenditure, because these employees have been working for years and were receiving salaries.
“It is a common sense that regular employees, who are getting salaries through AGPR through approved and sanctioned ERE (employees related expense) budget, cannot put additional burden on exchequer if they are regularised,” he said.
“The approval of this bill will only remove the sword of insecurity hanging over the employees. However, Syed Khursheed Shah, who presented the bill for the protection of employees, is under rehabilitation health care, which is why he is not attending the assembly sessions,” he explained.
Dr Asfandyar Khan said that it seemed that the issue of approval of the employees’ bill has become a political issue, due to which doctors, teachers, nurses and other employees were going through mental anguish.
“Despite the intervention of parliament, the woes of employees regularised through a cabinet subcommittee headed by Syed Khursheed Shah do not seem to end,” he said.
Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2025