SWABI: Swabi Development Authority (SDA) has laid off eight contractual employees, sources in the civic body told Dawn here on Monday.

They said the employees were told that their contract could not be renewed as the Election Commission of Pakistan had issued a letter to all public sector departments and institutions, telling them that till next elections no new employee could be hired.

The sources said the contract of such employees was renewed regularly by the civic authority, but not this time.

The axed employees termed their termination a cruel act and declared that they would use all available means to get reinstated.

The sources said the local government representatives also held a meeting with the SDA project director to ask him to renew the contract of employees, but he refused citing the ECP instructions.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that contact of another 19 employees was expected to be expired soon, and it seemed they would also be shown the door.

Separately, the police foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs to Punjab by recovering over three kilogrammes of charas from a car on Monday, SHO Tordher police station Syedul Amin Khan said.

He said during checking of vehicles on the Swabi-Jehangira Road, they stopped a car driven by Ali Mohammad, a resident of Bara, Khyber tribal district. He said during search of the car they recovered three packets of charas placed on the vehicle’s engine. —

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2023