Law:

Section:

Civil service-------Voluntary Golden Handshake Scheme---Option---Withdrawal of option---Employees of Bank opted within given time to Scheme of voluntary Golden Handshake---Employees subsequently withdrew their options on the ground that they had opted to said Scheme under compelling circumstances due to propaganda in press that those who would not opt would lose their jobs---Employer Bank accepted options of employees informing them that they would be relieved from their duties on specified date---Validity---Scheme in question was purely voluntary and employees had filed their options having carefully read and understood the terms and conditions and they could not withdraw their options on an afterthought and that too only a day before the acceptance---No compulsion was on employees to opt for the Scheme and also no discrimination was against them---No parallel existed between withdrawal of options and withdrawal of option of voluntary retirement before acceptance---Civil servant in case of voluntary retirement, would give a particular date for retirement and could withdraw before that date, while in case of voluntary Golden Handshake Scheme no withdrawal was envisaged and no date for acceptance or rejection was indicated---Things were clear to employees at the time they exercised their options and employer Bank had clearly stated that none would be allowed to withdraw option and would not remain in service---Options of employees were rightly accepted by employer Bank informing them to relieve them from service. 1995 SCMR 904 and 1999 SCMR 197 ref. Abdul Rahim Bhatti for Appellants. Shahid Anwar Bajwa for Respondents. Date of hearing: 1st March, 2003. JUDGMENT ABDUR RAZZAQUE (MEMBER).--- These appeals involve similar points of law and fact and are intended to be disposed of by this common judgment. 2. Facts leading to the appeals are that the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (now Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd.) floated a Voluntary Golden Handshake Scheme vide Circular dated 19-8-2002. Employees were invited to opt for the Scheme by 5-9-2002, later extended to 12-9-2002. The appellants opted within the given time. Receiving no immediate response the…

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