Minister to take up Pims, restaurant owners' issues with PM.

ISLAMABAD -- Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad on Monday assured protesting employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and restaurant owners that he would take up their issues with the prime minister in the upcoming meeting of the cabinet.

Giving assurance to the Pims employees holding a sit-in at D-Chowk, the minister said he would play his role in bringing amendments to the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Ordinance, restoring their civil servant status. Moreover, parliamentarians from different political parties expressed solidarity with the protesters and promised to take up the issue on the floor of parliament.

In November, President Dr Arif Alvi promulgated the MTI ordinance under which the hospital would be run through a board of governors (BoG). According to the ordinance, the BoG will deal with all affairs of Pims once it becomes an MTI.

The members have been appointed and notified by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on the recommendation of a search and nomination council.

On Monday, the employees gathered at the hospital and at 11:30am moved towards D-Chowk and held a sit-in there.

Later, a delegation of the employees met Sheikh Rashid in the interior ministry.

Grand Health Alliance Chairman Dr Asfandyar Khan, while talking to Dawn, said they informed Mr Rashid that Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, in presence of MNA Ali Awan, had agreed that the demands of the employees would be fulfilled.

'However, we told the minister that no one bothered to contact us after which he promised that he would talk to the SAPM and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Later, the minister contacted me again and told me that the issue will be addressed in two days so we have decided to announce further line of action after two days,' he said.

Meanwhile, JUI-F leader Senator Maulana Attaur Rahman also reached D-Chowk and assured the protesters...