Female teachers in Islamabad urge PM to resolve wedlock policy issue

ISLAMABAD: At least 250 teachers, mostly females, are suffering due to the tussle between former president Dr Arif Alvi and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government as they could not be absorbed in the educational institutions of the federal capital despite the passage of a law from parliament.

The teachers were once employees of the provincial governments and divisions, but were brought to Islamabad under the wedlock policy. After many years, they were directed to submit no-objection certificates (NOCs) from their parent departments for absorption in Islamabad following which their seats in the provinces were abolished.

The PDM government passed a bill for absorption of the teachers in Islamabad from both houses of parliament. However, Dr Arif Alvi, who was sending back almost every bill to parliament, sent the bill back for reconsideration leaving the PDM government with no option but to pass it again from a joint session of parliament. However, the tenure of the PDM government ended before the passage of the bill.

The teachers working in Islamabad under the wedlock policy have now urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to look into the issue and get their services absorbed in the educational institutions of Islamabad once and for all.

Joseph Gill, husband of one of the affected teachers, told Dawn that in 1998 the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif had introduced the wedlock policy under which around 300 teachers came from different provinces and joined the educational institutions in the federal capital.

Under the wedlock policy, both husband and wife should be allowed to work at the same station.

Mr Gill said initially the teachers came to the federal capital for five years but later their deputation was extended to allow them to stay at the same station [Islamabad] where their spouses were working.

“In 2013, most of the teachers were asked by the federal government to bring NOCs from their provinces to allow them to get absorbed in the educational institutions of federal capital as the education ministry was satisfied with their performance. The teachers submitted the NOCs, but only 48 of them were absorbed and the remaining were told that their issue would be resolved soon. Later, their absorption was delayed,” he said.

“However, during the tenure of the PDM government, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and PPP leader Yousuf Raza Gilani played a key role in resolving the issue of the teachers and in 2023 a bill was passed by both houses of parliament. However, the then president sent the bill back for reconsideration,” he said.

“We urge Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to look into the issue as teachers have been permanently settled in the federal capital and cannot go back to their native areas. Their children have been studying in Islamabad and many of them have even sold out their native property. On the other hand, their seats in native areas have been abolished so provinces will never allow them to join,” Mr Gill added.