ISLAMABAD: Law­ma­kers belonging to different political parties on Wed­nesday visited the protest camp set up outside the building of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) by the sacked employees to express solidarity with them.

The lawmakers pledged that they would take every possible step to reject the newly-promulgated Pakistan Medical Commis­sion Ordinance, 2019.

They urged the government to give jobs to the masses instead of making them unemployed.

The ordinance, promulgated by President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi last week, has not only given autonomy to private medical colleges, but also terminated services of around 220 employees of the PMDC.

It left the PMDC dissolved and paved the way for establishment of a new organisation called the Pakistan Medial Commission (PMC).

As the health ministry has sealed the building of council, employees have started their sit-in outside the building and set up a protest camp there.

Former deputy chairman of Senate and Secretary General of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri while addressing the protesting employees said that the issue would be immediately taken up in the parliament.

“It is unjustified that jobs of such a large number of employees have been terminated. Moreover, doctors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also suffering and protesting because of unjust and cruel policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government,” he said.

Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party in Senate Sherry Rehman, who had rejected the previous PMDC Ordinance thro­ugh a resolution on Aug 29, assured the employees that she would do all possible effort to address the issue.

“A person sitting outside Pakistan should not impose his will on the people. It is unfortunate that efforts are being made to close the parliament and run the country through presidential ordinances. The government has been violating even court orders and imposing laws of Gen Pervez Musharraf and General Ziaul Haq,” she said.

PPP leader Faisal Karim Kundi said that even in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have taken control of hospitals due to which they look-like areas of Occupied Kashmir. National Party Senator Muhammad Tahir Bizenjo also reached there and expressed their solidarity with the sacked employees.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq has already moved a resolution in the Senate for disapproval of the ordinance.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz Spokesperson Mar­yam Aurangzeb also rejec­ted the ordinance.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019