PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench has stayed the termination of the services of 20 contractual employees of the social welfare department.

Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mehfooz issued notices to the respondents, including the social welfare secretary and its director, and sought their replies to a petition jointly filed by the sacked employees.

Issuing a stay order, the bench suspended the department’s orders for the termination of the petitioners from June 30.

Asks dept officials to respond to petition on matter

Ziaur Rehman Tajik, lawyer for the petitioners, said the director of the social welfare department had advertised different posts in some schools, welfare homes and centres.

He added that all his clients had secured those BPS-4-16 posts after clearing written tests and interviews.

The lawyer said his clients were appointed to the Mentally Retarded and Handicapped Children Centre, Batkhela, Welfare Home for Destitute and Orphan Children, Hangu and Swabi, and School for Deaf and Dumb Children (women), Kohat.

He said the budget meant for those posts were converted to the regular one but the department instead of regularising the services of the petitioners issued orders for their termination from June 30.

Mr Tajik said the government had passed the KP Regularisation of Services Act 2018 prompting the regularisation of employees working on a number of projects on adhoc and contractual basis, but his clients were ignored and were later terminated.

He said the government’s act in question was discriminatory and illegal and therefore, it should be struck down.

The lawyer said the court had accepted two other petitions on similar grounds and thus, ordering the regularisation of the services of several government employees on Mar 17, 2016.

He said there were no complaints or adverse remarks of the authorities about the performance of the petitioners and therefore, the services of the petitioners should be regularised in line with the rules of natural justice, fair play and proprietary.

The lawyer claimed that it was the good performance of the petitioners during the last two years, which had led the admission of more than 300 disabled, deaf and dumb and special children to those schools, centres and welfare homes.

He said his all clients had gained sufficient experience in the relevant field and were eligible for their posts.

Mr Tajik requested the court to declare the termination orders illegal and direct the respondents, including the social welfare department, to regularise the services of his clients.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018