Now bonded labour has to eliminate in Pakistan:Raja Ashfaq Sarwar

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Labour & Human Resources Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said that constitution of Pakistan and ILO Convention strictly prohibits all kinds of forced labour. He said that after getting GSP Plus status by Pakistan, complete elimination of bonded labour is essential for improving the image of the country in the comity of the nations. He expressed these views while presiding over the first meeting of high-level provincial committee constituted by the Chief Minister Punjab regarding elimination of forced labour at Civil Secretariat Committee Room today. MPA Muhammad Rafique, Secretary Labour Capt. (Retd.) Muhammad Yousaf, Secretary Human Resourc Javed Iqbal Chaudhry, Country Director of ILO Saad Gilani, Additional Secretary Judicial Home Asad Ullah, Additional Secretary Literacy Nadeem Aslam Butt, Director Laws Mohsin Abbas Syed, DG Labour Welfare Syed Hasnaat Javed, General Secretary Pakistan Workers Confederation Khurshid Ahmed Khan, Syeda Ghulam Fatima of Bonded Labour Liberation Pakistan, President Kiln Welfare Association of Faisalabad Aslam Wafa, General Secretary of Kiln  Owners Association Mehr Abdul Haq, representatives of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and other concerned institutions attended the meeting. Representatives of kiln labour and other labour organizations identified the problems regarding forced labour and presented their recommendations to the committee for resolution of these problems. Members of the committee said that advance payment and non-payment of settled wages are the main cause of forced labour. They stressed the need for adopting joint strategy through consultation with labourers, owners and government institutions. Secretary Labour Capt. (Retd.) Muhammad Yousaf informed the meeting that Punjab government is utilizing all available resources for eliminating forced labour and implementing laws. Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said that Punjab Chief Minister has taken serious notice of bonded labour. He said that a unanimous strategy would be adopted in consultation with all stakeholders for taking necessary steps for eliminating forced labour.