Islamabad:
The Federal Minister of Industries and Production, Rana Tanveer Hussain, said Wednesday that the Government has no plans to close public service stores, but intends to restructure them.
Responding to the concerns highlighted by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, he said: “We are not closing public service stores; we are restructuring them. Political appointments have been made in these stores.”
He said that the future of regular employees of public service stores is safe.
The minister said that although public service stores were initially established to facilitate the public to provide cheaper daily used articles, many opened in unnecessary places due to political considerations.
The leader of the PPP, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, raised the problem in the National Assembly, remembering that the Minister of Industries and Production had previously assured the Chamber that public service stores would not be closed.
He added that the matter was also discussed in the pertinent parliamentary committee, where members of all political parties unanimously agreed not to close public service stores.
He said that thousands of employees depend on these stores for their livelihood, which makes their continuous operation crucial.
