APC demands withdrawal of PIA privatization plan

Lahore: An anti-privatization APC organized by the Jamaat e Islami, Lahore chapter on Sunday, called upon the government to withdraw its decision for the privatization of major national institutions and convene a meeting of the Council for Common Interest to decide a line of action on this score with the consent of the major political parties.

A joint declaration adopted at the moot attended by major political parties and labour leaders  maintained that the PIA and other major national institutions were the property of the masses and could not be sold out at the sweet will of the rulers.

The moot demanded that those responsible for the killing of three PIA employees be handed down exemplary punishment and the application of the Essential Services Act on the PIA be waved forthwith. It also demanded the release of the arrested workers leaders.

The APC was chaired by JI Secretary General, Liaqat Baloch. The speakers included PTI MPA Mian Mehmud Rashid, PPP’s Zahid Zulfiqar, Allama Zubair Ahmed Zaheer, JUI’s Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Nizami, President, PIA People’s Unity, Kashif Rana, President PIACE Javed Chaudhry, Hafiz Salman Butt, PREM Union’s Sheikh Muhammad Anwar, WAPDA Pegham union’s Ehsan Chaudhry and a former vice President, Lahore Bar Association, Ziauddin Ansari. They announced all out support to the PIA employees in their fight against the sell out of the institution.

Liaqat Baloch pointed out that the present rulers had already sold out several national demanded institutions on throw away prices and were now planning the privatization of a more than sixty others. He said the government was claiming that the privatization was being done for the betterment of these institutions while in fact it was being done under IMF pressure.

He said that the issue had been being grossly mishandled and already three PIA employees had been martyred while more than seventy others had been injured. He deplored that the Prime Minister, instead of feeling sorry for the killings, had issued a provocative speech threatening the striking workers to be put behind the bars.

PTI leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Mian Mehmud ur Rashid said the government was claiming that the PIA was in losses due to over employment. He said if there was corruption in the PIA, the government was to be blamed for that. He said that the proposal of another airline was also imprudent and reflected the dishonest approach of the rulers in this regard.

JI Lahore chief Zikrullah Mujahid said that the entire process of privatization in the country so far had lacked transparency and the present PIA’s problems included long mismanagement and huge plunder for which nobody was ready to accept responsibility.

Secretary general, National Labour Federation, Hafiz Salman Butt declared that the PREM Union members would observe Black Day against privatization all over the country on February 10.