Sacked employees remind PPP of pre-poll pledge

BAHAWALPUR, May 27: The association for the restoration of United Bank Limited retrenched employees has appealed to PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to reinstate them in accordance with the commitment of the party’s assassinated chairperson Benazir Bhutto.At a press conference here on Tuesday, the association chairman Muhammed Arif Khan, president Rao Ijaz and other office-bearers said that 85 employees of all grades were among the 5,416 employees sacked without issuing any charge sheet or notice by the UBL management on Oct 11, 1997, due to which thousands of families were facing huge financial problems.They said that though the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its verdict in favour of the sacked petitioners on Dec 1, 2000, it left the issue of reinstatement on the discretion of the bank management.They claimed that Benazir Bhutto assured their colleagues before her assassination that the PPP would reinstate them after coming into power.Present at the press conference, PPP district president Riaz Dahar said that as his party opposed the downsizing of the institutions and he would approach the party’s high command and the prime minister to redress the sacked bankers’ grievances.