Key Takeaways
- PML-N and ANP senators clashed during a Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights meeting.
- The disagreement centered around the death of a Gujranwala waste management worker.
- Officials disputed claims that the worker had been paid only half his salary.
ISLAMABAD: A heated exchange erupted during a Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights meeting on Wednesday, as PML-N Senator Abid Sher Ali and ANP chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan sparred over the death of a Gujranwala waste management worker. The meeting, chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, turned acrimonious when Khan pressed officials with tough questions regarding the worker’s death.
Senator Ali interrupted, objecting to the tone of the questioning. 'Listen to them — you are conducting an inquiry and asking questions as if you are sitting in a police station,' he said. When another member suggested that the cameras be switched off, Ali responded, 'I have nothing wrong to say. Speak properly,' he told Khan. 'I am speaking properly — you speak properly too,' Khan retorted. Senators then intervened to defuse the situation.
Officials informed the committee that the worker had been employed by the Gujranwala Waste Management Company (GWMC) from 2024 to 2025, with his contract expiring on May 31, 2026. They stated that the alleged suicide occurred after his employment had ended. Senator Musarrat Hussain questioned whether the worker’s audio or video had been recorded before his death and directly asked officials, 'Did you kill him?'
Khan alleged that the worker had been paid only half of his salary, which had driven him to the extreme. The GWMC CEO, Abdul Razaque Ali Dogar, disputed this, stating that bank records showed full salary payments and that the worker had performance issues. Committee members also questioned the hiring model, with Senator Quratulain Marri asking why Suthra Punjab was engaging a third party for cleaning staff instead of recruiting workers directly.
The GWMC CEO said compensation had been provided to the worker’s widow and children, including a plot purchased with the help of a chamber of commerce. Khan questioned why a plot had been given if the worker was not in service at the time of his death, saying, 'If you give me a plot too, I will also be happy.' The ANP chief further rejected officials’ suggestion that the worker may have had personal problems.
The committee directed Suthra Punjab to submit copies of the relevant laws for 2025 and 2026 and asked whether any redressal mechanism existed beyond financial compensation. On July 1, a Suthra Punjab worker set himself on fire in Gujranwala in protest against non-payment of his full salary, succumbing to his injuries two days later. A CCTV camera recorded footage of the employee as he was coming out.
Listen to them — you are conducting an inquiry and asking questions as if you are sitting in a police station.
Abid Sher Ali, PML-N Senator
I am speaking properly — you speak properly too.
Aimal Wali Khan, ANP Chief Senator
