APC asks government to withdraw its sell-off plan

An anti-privatisation All Parties Conference (APC), organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami's Lahore chapter on Sunday, demanded of the government to review and withdraw its decision to privatise major national institutions. The APC urged the government to convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) to decide a line of action with the consent of the major political parties.
The moot attended by major political parties and labour leaders adopted a joint declaration which stated that PIA and other key national institutions were the property of the masses and could not be sold out at the sweet will of the rulers.
The joint declaration also demanded to bring the culprits behind the killing PIA employees to book and awarding exemplary punishment to them. It also demanded release of the arrested leaders.
Besides, the declaration demanded that the application of the Essential Services Act on PIA be waved forthwith.
The APC was chaired by JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch. The speakers included: PTI MPA Mian Mehmud Rashid, PPP's Zahid Zukfikar, Alama 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 Paigham Union's Ehsan Chaudhry and former vice-President, Lahore Bar Association, Ziauld Din Ansari.
The APC announced all out support to the PIA employees in their fight against the sell-out of the institution.
Liaqat Baloch pointed out that the incumbent rulers had already sold out several institutions on a throw away prices and were now planning the privatisation of more organisations. He said the government was claiming that the privatisation was being done for the betterment of these institutions while in fact it was being done under the IMF pressure.
Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Mian Mehmud ur Rashid, said the government was claiming that PIA was facing losses due to over employment. He said if there was corruption in PIA, the government was to be blamed for that. He said 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 privatisation in the country so far had lacked transparency.
Secretary General, National Labour Federation, Hafiz Salman Butt, declared that the PREM Union members would observe a black day against the privatisation on February 10.