The NWFP assembly on Thursday opposed the privatisation of the Water & Power Development Authority (Wapda) and termed it contrary to the wishes of the people.
Speaking on an adjournment motion, Abdul Akbar Khan of the People's Party Parliamentarians opposed the privatisation of Wapda, which according to him, had been divided into more than eight companies by the federal government.
He said that what else the government (federal) was going to sell to the private parties.
The NWFP province was one of the owners, but the provincial government was not taken into confidence. The federal government was going to sell the NWFPs assets, but it had not consulted the NWFP government, he added.
He said that the federal government had decided to begin with the selling of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), which would cause more uncertainty, because the NWFP government was engaged in dispute over the net hydal profit with the Wapda.
Khan said if a private party took over the Wapda after its privatisation, it would send hundreds of employees home.
He asked the NWFP government to take up the issue with the high court, otherwise PPP would file a petition against it. According to the constitution, he said, only Wapda or the federal government could decided about the net profit and not a private contractor.
Awami National Party member Bashir Ahmed Bilour endorsed the views expressed by the mover and said it had been the stand of his party to return the electricity subject to the province. Because it was provincial subject before the One Unit's formation, he said.
Provincial Finance Minister Sirajul Haq said that the privatisation of the Wapda would leave hundreds of employees jobless and cause the an unending uncertainty in the country.
He said that out of the 500 multinational companies, the Muslim states owned none.
The privatisation was an integral part of the globalisation, which was controlled by the Jews, he added.
He asked the mover to bring a resolution on the issue and put it before the House.
Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani also endorsed the motion and asked Khan to table a resolution against the privatisation of the Pesco.
The government would support it, he added. Earlier, the House, through a unanimously adopted a resolution, demanded an end to the contracts of retired military officials and serving ones manning the civilian posts in the province.
The House demanded an early return of the serving officials back to their barracks and replacement of civilian officials in their posts.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) woman MPA Imtiaz Sultan Bukhari told the House that the experienced civilian officials had been waiting for the posting for the last many years. She proposed that military officials should be replaced with the surplus civilian employees.
Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan was in their chair. The assembly also adopted resolutions about the establishment of a circuit bench of the service tribunal in Peshawar, completion of schemes, resumption of PIA flights (D.I. Khan-Peshawar-Islamabad route) which was suspended after the Afghan war.
On his call attention notice, Anwar Kamal of the PML-N drew attention of the House towards the appointment of inept law officers as assistant advocate general on higher courts.
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