Day: January 12, 2022

Karachi:Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar and Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar met at the Governor House and agreed to intensify the ongoing measures for the development and prosperity of the people of the province.

Governor Punjab appreciated the efforts of CM Usman Buzdar in providing insaf cards in the province. Both termed opposition parties’ obstacles to hinder economic development as undemocratic and added that the government was not going anywhere. The PTI government led by PM Imran Khan would complete its term.

Governor Ch Sarwar advised the political opponents to avoid point-scoring on every issue. March 2022 and March 2023 will also pass but the government will prevail. Opposition must give priority to national interests, he added. He said the purpose of every project including the sehat insaf card is to provide relief to the people.

CM Usman Buzdar enunciated that the agenda of the opposition was to save its swag. The opposition has lost its repute and the people are with PM Imran Khan, he noted. The dream of elections before 2023 would not be fulfilled and the government would continue to counter negative politics with public service, he added.

KARACHI:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will resist a deliberate attempt for grabbing land of a pre-partition school worth billions of rupees in Dalmia area of Karachi by land mafia in connivance with relevant departments of Sindh government, vowed Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Sheikh here on Wednesday.

The Manik Government Boys Secondary School Dalmia was established in 1933 by Ram Kirshan Dalmia and is providing educational facilities to residents of the areas from generation. In 1993 the land of closed cement factory was allotted to Kolachi Cooperatives Housing Society which reportedly sold the piece of land where school building exists to a builder.

Haleem Adil Sheikh, after receiving complaints from area residents, visited the school along with PTI MPA Arslan Ghumman on Wednesday. He inspected different sections of the school building and met with teachers and students of the school and residents of area who told the opposition leader that they all were against proposed shifting of the school to new location.

Speaking at the occasion Haleem Adil Sheikh said that around 90 year old school was a historical asset and it could not be demolished but Murad Ali Shah led Sindh government was attempting to raze a historical building.

An under construction building on a residential plot of Kolachi Cooperative Society was named as school while school administration was directed to vacate the existing school building, he said adding that earlier play ground of the school was handed over to builder mafia and now school itself was under threat.

Traditionally majority of the area vote for PPP and it was responsibility of PPP leadership to value will and sentiments of their voters, Haleem said adding that in past when the school was deprived of its play ground PPP’s elected representatives connived with builder mafia but now PTI was representing the area and they would not allow land mafia to usurp the valuable land of the historical school.

He said that Sindh Education Minister Sardar Shah and Secretary Education Akbar Laghari were also involved in the illicit deal of billions and a few days back Akbar Laghari also visited the school on Sunday.

He said that Murad Ali Shah and Sardar Shah sold out historical Umerkot Fort, put the Hyderabad fort on the market, made money by exploiting archeological site of Moen jo Daro and even tried to sell Quaid-e-Azam House. “But we will allow them to hand over the historical school to land mafia and will resist their nefarious designs,” he vowed.

Different areas of Karachi were handed over to land mafia and illegal constructions were raised in the metropolis, he said adding that but when courts took action poor people had to suffer. Land mafia was happy that Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed was retiring but they should know if one judge is going he would be replaced by the other one.

Responding to a query about Murad Ali Shah’s satire on Murree incident, he said that whatever occurred in Murree was tragic and befitting action be taken against the responsible officials. That incident took place due to extreme weather but here in Sindh 10 people had lost lives in Tando Jam due to consuming liquor, he said and demanded of fair investigation of sad incident and fixing responsibility on negligent officials.

PTI member Sindh Assembly Arslan Ghumman while speaking at the occasion said that Sindh Education minister Sardar Shah had recently closed 11 thousand schools across Sindh and now they wanted to close down this historical school as well.

Sindh government and its Education and Revenue departments were patronizing land mafia and illegal land grabbing and play ground of the school was earlier handed over to Kolachi Cooperative Society by demolishing the boundary wall of the school and now a project was planned there, he said and vowed that land mafia would not be allowed to usurp the school land.

He said that due to connivance of government departments numerous instances of land grabbing and illegal construction were observed in Sindh particularly in Karachi and one of them was issue of Tojouri Heights. Earlier government agencies submitted in the Apex Court that apartment was build over private land and when issue was highlighted real facts surfaced and consequently citizens who had invested in the project had to suffer, he noted.

Former UC Nazim of the area, Akbar Morejo, said that he himself got education from Manik school and about a century old school was being handed over to builder mafia. He said that if Sindh government needed money he was ready to pay the amount to the government to save the historical educational institution. He appealed Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the illicit deal between Sindh government and land mafia and taken immediate action to save the school.

KARACHI:Shikarpur Excise Police, led by Excise and Taxation Officer Rahim Bakhsh Sanjrani, claimed on Wednesday that they had recovered 22kg hashish from a truck number E-2822.

In the ongoing crackdown on drug dealers on the instructions of Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control Department Mukesh Kumar Chawla, the Shikarpur Excise Police recovered 22kg hashish from a truck number E-2822 during search and arrested accused Ghulam Shabir, a resident of Dera Ismail Khan who was transporting hashish to Karachi.

A case has been registered against the accused and investigation started while the truck used in smuggling has also been impounded, the excise police said. The Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control Department Mukesh Kumar Chawla has expressed hope that the officers would continue their crackdown on drug dealers with the same diligence and dedication.

KARACHI:Workers of pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan face the worst exploitation and industry owners despite earning billions of rupees are not ready to give basic labour rights to these workers, said labour leaders while addressing a press conference arranged by National Trade Unions Federation (NTUF) and workers of Pharmaceutical industry at the Karachi Pakistan Club (KPC) here Wednesday.

They said the pharma industry was amongst the sectors that made the most profits during the Coronavirus pandemic. They also got huge incentives and benefits from the government. However, the workers of this sector faced the worst working condition.

They said in Pakistan the prices of medicines are hiked by 311 percent and more increase in expected in them in the coming mini-budget. Presently, in Pakistan there are more than 700 pharmaceutical companies that are also exporting drugs to more than 60 other countries. Their annual sale in more than Rs560 billion and it is increased at the rate if 15percent per annum. More than 100000 workers are directly related and one million people indirectly related to this sector. However, the workers of this sector are deprived of their basic rights including making their trade unions.

They said as per local and international laws workers of all categories have the right of making their labour unions and the Supreme Court has also ratified it, but still the workers of the pharma sector are deprived of this right.

They said that the nature of jobs in the pharma sector is that of permanent work, but 90 percent of its workforce is compelled to work on temporary basis. The illegal contract labour system is present in almost all factories and medicines are made in unhygienic conditions that is an anti-human act. These factories are virtual sweat shops. Their production process is being outsourced in dangerous COVID conditions to the places that are utterly unhygienic. It posses threats to not only workers but the users of these products also.

The majority of workers in the pharma sector is not issued social security and EOBI cards. The workers contribution to SESSI and EOBI is deposited through contractors so as that relation to industry could not be established.

They said that the Supreme Court has already decided that all industries related to life-saving sector would hire permanent employees, but the verdicts of the court are not being implemented. Instead of regularization of the jobs of workers they are being appointed on temporary basis under the title of production support officers (PSOs) and hence deprived of their due rights. The institutions like Social Security, EOBI and workers welfare board have become the dens of corruption. They said the workers welfare board is badly marred with corruption, where dowry grant, education scholarship and even death grant is not issued without taking bribes.

They said that houses of the workers welfare board were allotted in 2013 but despite passage of nine years their possession is yet to be given to the workers. These houses are not livable as they have no water, power and gas facilities.

They said that in Sindh law is enacted about five percent workers participation fund, but the other provinces do not have such a law. They said under this law a huge amount is deposited with the registrar Sindh High Court, but these funds are not yet distributed among the workers.

They said that saving Sindh, in other provinces the dowry grant is increased from Rs100000 to Rs200000; death grant from Rs500000 to Rs600000 and educational scholarship, money for shoes and pocket money is doubled. They asked that the workers of Sindh should also be given these facilities.

On the occasion the union of pharma sector workers announced to wage a struggle from the platform of NTUF for their rights on in this regard on February 15 an All Pakistan Pharma Workers Conference would be organized to launch a movement for realization of their rights.

They demanded that the workers of the pharmaceutical industry should be given the right to make their labour unions. Contact labour system should be ended and as per the decision of the Supreme Court the workers of life saving sector should be made permanent. The contributions of EOBI and social security should be recovered from the companies instead of contractors and cards in the name of workers should be issued. Illegal practice of appointing temporary workers in the name of PSOs should be stopped. Hygiene condition in pharmaceutical industry should be improved and outsourcing of their products should be stopped.

The workers should be given insurance and SESSI cards. Bribery in Workers Welfare Fund should be stopped; otherwise, the workers would besiege the offices of the Board. The registrar of SHC should distribute the amount of five percent workers participation amongst the workers. The government of Sindh like other provinces should increase the funds of dowry, death grants and educational scholarship. The houses of workers should be given the facilities of water, power and gas and their possession should be given to the allottees.

Those spoke included Nasir Mansoor NTUF, Rafiq Baloch NTUF, Manzoor Ahmed Martin Dow Market Workers Union (CBA), Bakht Zameen Hilex Pharma Employees Union (CBA), Farman Khan Asprin Pharma Workman Union, Muhammad Kashif Khan Glaxco Smith Line Workers Union, Fazal-e-Wahab OBS Pakistan Employees Union (CBA), Muhammad Bachal Searl Employees Union, Sher Ali Avient Pakistan Employees Union, Zahir Shah Essity Employees Union, Nazar Abbas Opal Employees Union, Gul Rehman Labour Rights Movement, and Riaz Abbasi SITE Labour Forum.

KARACHI:Special Assistant to CM Sindh on Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Sindh Sadiq Ali Memon has said that extra curriculum activities are also necessary to encourage children with disabilities to participate in sports and such activities may develop confidence among them.

This he said as a chief guest in a ceremony of International Day of Persons with Disabilities Sports Gala here at National Coaching Centre, organized by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Sindh in collaboration with Youth Affairs Department Sindh, according to a statement issued by Sindh Information Department on Wednesday. On this occasion SACM on Youth Affairs Department Sardar Paras Dero, Secretary DEPD Akhtar Ali Bugti, Regional Director Karachi DEPD Jhamandas Rathi, cricketer Shahnwaz Dahani and others were also present. On this occasion children with disabilities presented various tabelues and showed brilliant performance.

SACM Sadiq Ali Memon appreciated the performance of the children with disabilities and hoped that DEPD would continue to arrange such wonderful events to bring out the potential of the differently abled children. He said that the concept of charity must be removed while making arrangements for persons with disabilities as it surely hurted their feelings.

Special Assistant to CM Sindh on DEPD Sadiq Ali Memon added, ‘ I am really happy to see these wonderful children, performing different sports with great enthusiasm and I also admire the organizers of this event ‘. He said that Sindh Government was also taking all efforts to bring a positive change in the life of the persons with disabilities and empowering them to live independently through providing them vocational training and rehabilitation facilities.