Hundreds of people backed by various political parties protested against the civilian administration of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) for politically-motivated appointments in KPT during the last four years.
Under the umbrella of KPT Labor Action Committee (KPT-LAC), the protesters staged a sit-in in front of the KPT head office in the afternoon on Monday to demand equal opportunity of employment for all regardless of ethno-linguistic considerations.
The protesters also claimed to have the backing of political parties including the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and Awami National Party.
The other parties they claimed to have the support of include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Jamat-e-Islami and some civil society organizations.
The protesters mostly hailed from the impoverished areas – Keamari, Lyari, Baba and Bhit islands, Manora and others located in the vicinity of Karachi port.
The protesters were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans in favor of restoration of son-quota in the KPT, the operator of the country’s largest seaport, Karachi Port.
The marchers warned the KPT administration and the Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) against making “illegal” appointments that they claimed were based on political affiliations of the employees.
Also, a handout, distributed to the media, questioned the role of the elected representatives, social, labor and religious leaders residing in the respective areas.
Shouting slogans among the protesters were dozens of youth who claimed to have applied in the KPT and desperately awaiting for an interview call from what they alleged “biased” employers in KPT.
The protesters also demanded the removal of over 700 employees who, they claimed, had been hired during the last four years on political basis.
According to KPT-LAC chairman Jaleel Shah, they have set a 10-day deadline for the government and the KPT administration for a complete compliance of their demand.
After the deadline, the labor leader warned, the labourers would block the port operations. Shah, however, was upbeat that his negotiations with KPT Chairman Javed Hanif Khan and General Manager Administration Rauf Farooqui would be fruitful and result into the redressal of labourers’ demands. Later, the protesters dispersed peacefully.
