Salaries payment, dues of ex-Pak PWD employees: Senate body concerned over delays

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works expressed serious concerns over delays in the payment of salaries and arrears to former Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) employees by the respective ministries and departments, despite their adjustment.

The panel met here on Wednesday with Senator Nasir Mehmood in the chair to review delayed development projects and other matters concerning the Ministry of Housing and Works.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Housing & Works informed the Committee that a total of 20,024 former Pak PWD employees had been adjusted in various ministries and departments. Of these, salaries of 3,094 employees had been released, while cases of around 30 employees were still pending, including 14 employees in the Ministry of Planning, nine employees in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the remaining in other departments.

The chairman directed the officials not to mislead the committee with repeated assurances and stressed that commitments made before the committee must be honoured through practical implementation. Officials informed the Committee that the majority of PWD employees had been adjusted in various ministries and departments. However, several employees are still awaiting payment of salaries and arrears.

Officials from the Ministry of Finance informed the Committee that following the revised funding mechanism introduced from 1 July 2025, letters had been issued to the relevant ministries and departments for clearance of outstanding salary arrears.

However, employees informed the Committee that while they had been adjusted in different ministries, several departments had neither released their salaries nor cleared their outstanding dues.

The Committee directed all concerned ministries and departments to ensure immediate payment of salaries and arrears to adjusted employees and remove unnecessary delays in processing their cases.

The Committee also discussed the status of contractual employees. Officials informed the Committee that, under the existing legal framework, contractual employees are not eligible for pension benefits.

However, the Ministry of Housing and Works had submitted a proposal requesting special consideration from the Prime Minister. The Committee was informed that any decision in this regard would require approval from the competent forum, i.e., the Federal Cabinet.

The Committee then reviewed the status of the Green Enclave-I Housing Project, expressing serious concern over prolonged delays, cost escalation, and the continued hardship faced by allottees.

Officials of FGEHA informed the Committee that the project had suffered delays due to litigation, NAB inquiries, land-related disputes, bank guarantee issues, the impact of COVID-19 on construction costs, and subsequent contractual complications. They informed the Committee that works on the project had resumed and that several pending issues would be placed before the Authority’s Board for final decisions.

The Chairman questioned the prolonged continuation of contractual arrangements despite years of delay and observed that thousands of citizens, particularly retired government employees, had invested in the project in good faith and deserved timely delivery.

The Committee directed that Contractor Dr Hafeez Abbasi be summoned in the next meeting to explain the delays and stressed that all stakeholders must cooperate to ensure early completion of the project.

However, on this occasion, former judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan told the committee that this project was delayed mainly because a property tycoon who wanted to acquire this land as it was adjacent to his housing society.

He said this property tycoon, in connivance with the former chief justice and NAB, framed fabricated and flimsy charges against Dr Hafeez Abbasi even though the land was cleared by all relevant departments.

However, he said since this property tycoon is under hot water, hope has arisen that the development work would be resumed and the allotees will get their plots.

The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works, informed the Committee that he is fully aware of this matter and assured the Committee that in the next board meeting of CDA, this matter would be resolved. He said the Ministry had initiated reforms to resolve longstanding issues in housing projects and had placed restrictions on launching new schemes until ongoing projects are completed.

The committee also reviewed the replacement and repair of lifts at the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat. Members expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work and directed the concerned authorities to complete the project within the committed timeframe.

The Committee decided to conduct an on-site visit to monitor progress after a month.

The Committee also reviewed the progress of the Model Jail project. Members were informed by the CDA Chairman that the first phase of the project had been approved and was nearing completion, while the proposal for Phase-II, which includes dedicated facilities for women, had already been submitted. Officials expressed the hope that the remaining work would be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026