Regularisation of contractual employees: body formed to look into the matter, Senate told

The Senate was informed on Tuesday that the government had formed a committee headed by Haseeb Athar to look into the matter of regularisation of all contractual employees.
It said that the decision had been taken in the light of Supreme Court's directives. Responding the call attention notice of ANP lawmaker Sitara Ayaz about non-regularisation of services of contractual teachers of federal government educational institutions in garrison areas, State Minister of Water and Power Abid Sher Ali on behalf of defence minister told the house that the government needed Rs 400 million per annum for the regularisation of these teachers.
He said that a committee had been formed under the supervision of Haseeb Athar to look into this matter. Earlier, Sitara Ayaz deplored that these teachers were doing their duties on contract basis for the last twenty years and on a low salary of Rs 6750 per month. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Aftab Sheikh presenting the periodical report on the proposed laying off of sixty thousand contract employees by the present government also said that the apex court had directed the government to review cases of contractual employees and a committee had been formed.
Senator Usman Kakar of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) objected to the decision of the government that Save the Children, an international aid group, would be allowed to operate in specific areas of the country excluding Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). He termed the decision discrimination with the small provinces that needed more development opportunities. "Either the government itself should take responsibility to develop smaller provinces or allow the donor agencies to work there," he said adding that the interior minister should reply. He said that either any NGO should be banned in Pakistan if it was involved in anti-state activities or work through out the country. He informed that Save the Children had taught thousands of children in Balochistan.
The lawmakers in the house showed their worries on the dismal performance of Pakistan hockey team in the qualifying round of next Olympics. Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq was the first who raised this issue. Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada said the ministry had summoned the hockey team captain to question from him about the reasons and causes of miserable performance of team.
He said that the ministry was holding inquiry and the Prime Minister would be appraised about its report. He questioned the role of sports federations in Pakistan about national teams' bad performance in different games. He said that the government was determined to uplift sports in Pakistan.
MQM lawmaker Attique Ahmed on a point of order said that the business community was worried about the government' decision to levy 0.6 percent tax on bank transaction. "This will cause damage to banking sector," he said adding that matter should be referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance. However, Ayesha Raza Farooq of PML-N was of the view that it was only for non-filers and up to 50 thousand rupees transaction was exempted from this tax. Leader of the Opposition Aitzaz Ahsan said that new tax was a burden on the poor class only. The chair remarked that they should wait for an expected meeting of finance minister and the traders.
Leader of the Opposition on a point of order alleged that a parliamentarian in connivance with Capital Development Authority (CDA) wanted to establish a housing society on 1400 acre land of National Agriculture Research Council (NARC). He said that the NARC should be allowed to use the land for research purposes.
Senator Taj Haider said that Jamatud Dawa (JuD) is a banned organisation but even then it is running over 18 camps in Karachi during the holy month of Ramadan, while Rangers was providing full security to banned outfit. Minister for SAFRON Lieutenant General Abdul Qadir Baloch (Retd) said that since JuD was doing charity work in the country, which the Lahore High Court (LHC) had allowed, and after the court orders the government was helpless to take action against it.
About providing security to JuD by Rangers in Karachi, he said that the law enforcing agencies were providing security to all the charity organisation in Karachi and same is the case with JuD as it is undertaking charity work in the metropolitan city. The minister could not produce the LHC order about JuD's charity, on which chairman Senate directed the minister to produce the LHC order in the house today (Wednesday). The house also unanimously passed two bills including the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Seed (Amendment) Bill, 2015.