Zubair Qureshi
Nearly 45 employees of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) whose cases are pending in courts and some of them were terminated on charges of corruption are seeking safe passage by applying for Golden Shake Hand scheme and taking millions of rupees.
According to the sources, a number of employees (those working in territorial site offices, daily wagers, contractual and regular employees) have opted for premature retirement and among these employees include those too whose cases of corruption/malpractices are pending with the council.
They have submitted their applications for Golden Shake Hand and when the golden shake hand was calculated for these employees with pending cases, a hefty financial impact, nearly Rs1.5 to Rs2 billion have been estimated to be paid to them, the sources further said.
Recently, the matter was taken up in the council’s meeting and the President of the PM&DC and a few others agreed to approve. However, one of the permanent council members refused to sign over its hefty financial impact.
The reason these employees are going for Golden Shake Hand is the prevailing uncertainty in the organization and the amount receivable by each applicant would be more than enough and will be in multi millions, further said the sources.
A spokesperson of the PM&DC when approached for comment said there was no truth in the news of such a large number of employees applying for golden shake hand.
There is an option of the golden shake hand in the PM&DC Act but obviously it doesn’t apply to the contractual or daily-wage employees, the official further said.
It applies to the employees who have attained a certain age and are near the end of their career. About the reports of ‘tainted’ employees seeking the package, the official said it was only speculation and there was no truth in the report. The spokesperson categorically rejected that the President of the council had agreed to approve any such premature retirement for the employees.
