ISLAMABAD, March 10: About 4,500 former government employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sacked during 1996-98, have requested the Supreme Court to direct the provincial government to reinstate them on their previous posts in accordance with the Sacked Employees Reinstatement Act 2010.

They have submitted an application to the Supreme Court through Action Committee of Sacked Employees, drawing the attention of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry towards what they call 'severe discrimination with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.'

They said that the provincial government had so far not implemented the Reinstatement Act.

However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour said that a committee was formed to resolve the issue of sacked employees. But shortage of funds was creating hurdles in it, he said.

“We have requested the federal government to provide Rs1 billion to the provincial government to enable it to reappoint these employees. If this amount is made available then we will have no problem,” said Mr Bilour, who is also chairman of the reinstatement committee.He, however, also said that the Presidential Ordinance (now Reinstatement Act) was not binding on provinces. “These employees have also become over-aged by seven to nine years, so we have been trying to help them in whatever way possible,” he added.

The application of the action committee also describes the plight of the affected employees after they were dismissed from service in 1996-98. “Thousands of sacked employees have not found any job since then and are waiting for their earlier reemployment. Those, who found other jobs, also quit the same when President Zardari issued an ordinance directing all the ministries and departments to restore the sacked employees on their posts,” said Qazi Hanif, secretary of the action committee.

The employees have requested the chief justice to take sou motu notice of the indifference of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and order it to practically implement the Reinstatement Act.

More than two years have passed when the reinstatement process was initiated after President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated the Sacked Employees Ordinance on February 14, 2009. Later on, it was converted into an Act after the Senate and National Assembly passed a bill in this regard last year. But despite lapse of more than two years, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities have yet to implement it.