ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of employees sacked from various government departments and autonomous bodies continued their protest sit-in on the Constitution Avenue, and spent Wednesday night in the open in freezing weather.

The protestors including women spent the night by praying and reciting the holy Quran as they were expecting a decision of the Supreme Court on Thursday.

A large number of employees from various parts of the country gathered on the Constitution Avenue on Wednesday and raised slogans such as “We want justice”.

They chanted slogans and carried banners inscribed with slogans such as “Chief Justice! Please, restore sacked employee, provide justice.”

The sacked employees belong to the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan State Oil, State Life Insurance Corporation, Intelligence Bureau, Oil and Gas Development Authority, besides schoolteachers.

A five-judge Supreme Court bench is hearing a set of petitions seeking review of an August 17 judgement that rendered almost 17,000 government employees jobless. The court hinted that it could wrap up the issue on Thursday.

However, the Supreme Court (SC) reserved its judgment on Thursday. A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umer Ata Bandial heard the case related to the Sacked Employees (Reinstatement) Act, 2010.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021