A long walk to Justice
19-year-long wait has not turned into hopelessness yet
by Sohail Rashid
Ten-year struggle is enough for a person in developed countries to achieve any desired goal; even they can win noble prize. But we have a different situation; people await justice even for decades right in federal capital.
One of such people, Syed Zaman Abbas Shah, is fighting for his right to restoration on his post of Assistant Lineman in Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) since 1991. He was fired from his job in 1991 on the charge of having fake certificate of the 8th class and even after producing original certificate, he wasn’t restored on his job and from that day he is trying tooth to nail to achieve his lost job.
Zaman Abbas is son of Nazir Hussain Shah, an old comrade of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and a ‘jayala’ of Pakistan People’s Party. Now his own party is in government but unfortunately still he has to struggle for his right.
Zaman hails from village Kagan in Chak Baili Khan. He was appointed on a job of assistant Lineman in WAPDA in 1986 but just after five years of his job, he was fired from his position in 1991 in Nawaz Sharif’s first regime on the charges of having a fake school certificate, which he denied. In his struggle for justice, he spent a lot of money, energy and time but got no dividends.
“I am under a heavy debt now as I borrowed money from different people to fight for my case. I am worried how would I retire my debt as I have no source of income,” said Zaman while explaining his difficulties.
When asked why did not he leave this job restoration aside and try for any other job, he told INFN that he was struggling for justice because he want to get his dignity restored with the restoration of my job which was then terminated on a flimsy charge of having a fake school certificate.
“PPP victory in 2008 gave me a hope of restoration of my job. Though the PPP government restored thousands of other people who were terminated in previous regimes but his turn did not come either. Whom should I blame far as it is the party closer to my family,” complained Zaman, a PPP loyalist. He approached the PPP leaders Farzana Raja, Chaudhry Manzoor and Raja Pervez Ashraf and shared with them his case. They promised to get him restored while WAPDA is under Raja Pervez’s ministry. But nothing so far has been done in this regard, he added.
Recollecting his memories of relations between his late father and Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mr Zaman said: “When Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was prime minister, he wrote a letter to my father, thanking him for his sacrifices for the party. I showed that letter to the PPP leaders now holding the fort, but they didn’t give any importance to it as well.”
Zaman said he contacted presidency from where a request letter was moved to the Prime Minister secretariat, but he still awaits any response from there.
“I do not ant any special privileges. Only I want restoration of prestige, dignity and job, which was lost on baseless grounds of a fake school certificate. How much I would have to do more for getting my this fundamental right” he asked with tears in eye.