More than 12,000 contractual employees in different departments of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) have lost their jobs due to the ruling Pakistan’s People’s Party’s reconciliation with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Today has learnt.
The contractual workers had been recruited in various CDGK departments since January by the PPP when the MQM had quit the federal government in December 2010 over a number of differences with the ruling party.
Well-placed sources in the city government told Pakistan Today that the PPP-led government had given the nod to the MQM-backed CDGK for removing all contractual employees after convincing the latter to soften its stance over the introduction of a new local government system including commissioners as well as nazims.
The MQM had demanded the removal of the contractual employees as it feared they may be regularised later and the party may loose its grip on the city government affairs. The senior leadership of PPP had held talks with the MQM and decided that these appointments could be cancelled, the sources claimed.
Subsequently, Karachi Administrator Mohammad Hussain Syed issued the order for cancellation of all appointments made in the city government and its subordinate departments since January 1, including those on contractual engagements with immediate effect. However, the workers on disabled, deceased employees’ quota and medical officers were spared from the axe.
Through another order, the administrator also cancelled all postings, adjustments of employees of different town municipal and union council administrations in the CDGK and its subordinate departments made since January 1. The relieved employees were directed to report to their parent local bodies with immediate effect.
It is worth mentioning that the recent termination of services of over 12,000 CDGK workers has not affected those employees who were appointed by the former Haq Parast city nazim Mustafa Kamal and were also regularised without fulfilment of legal or official formalities.