Zubair Qureshi
Workers in Pakistan are free to go anywhere in quest of respectable living and occupation. Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan allow them to move freely from one place to the other in any part of the country or the world for this purpose. However, the recent murder and attacks on the labourers belonging to Punjab in the Nushki district of Balochistan (April 12, 2024) indicates an alarming situation and authorities should take serious notice of this dangerous trend.
These views were expressed by Chairman of the Nazriya Pakistan Council (NPC) Mian Muhammad Javed at a special ceremony organized in connection with the Labour Day at the Aiwan-e-Quaid, Fatima Jinnah Park.
The event was attended by noted scholars, writers and poets of the twin cities.
They paid poetic tribute to the hard work and pains the workers take in making the two ends meet and thus contribute to the overall development of the country. Mian Muhammad Javed said that labourers have no prejudice or grudge against any community or the region and they leave their homes and places only in search of occupation and to feed their children and families. This is purely in accordance with the dictates of Quran and Sunnah and the law and constitution of the country.
However, attacks on labourers or hatred against them are condemnable and the government should take firm action against those responsible for this, said Mian Muhammad Javed. He called upon the authorities to ensure a safe environment for the labourers for the peaceful and smooth affairs of the state and the government.
Eminent poet DrWaheed Ahmed also paid rich compliments to the labourers and remarked that writers and poets were also ‘labourers’ who earned through their pen and their share in the peace, prosperity and progress of the country was not less than anyone else.
Poet FarkhandaShamim said with the passage of time, the number of labourers was increasing in the country. However, their wages are still far less as compared to their input.
Increase in prices and inflation have impacted their lives quite ruthlessly and the government should raise the wages for the labourers so that they could live a respectable life, she said.
Low literacy rate is also one of the big causes of the rise in the number of labourers, she said.
Earlier, Director Media and Programmes of the NPC, HameedQaiser in his opening remarks said the government should make legislation and take solid steps for the support to the labour and working class. Later, a Mushaira was also held in connection with the Labour Day.
Among those who presented their kalam in the Mushaira included DrWaheed Ahmed, FarkhandaShamim, Ejaz Ahmed Sahir, Ali Ahmed Qamar, Syed ZaheerGilani, Dr Aziz Faisal, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Dr Agha Noor Muhammad Noor, Saeed Raja, SarmadSarosh, MoazzamaTanveer, Ahmed Zahoor, Mutraba Sheikh, ZeshanMurtaza, Muhammad GulNazuk, Abdul Rahim Gadz, DrSalahuddinSaleh, GhulamMurtaza and ShahidIlhamBalyari.
