Pakistan People’s Party Secretary Information Qamar Zaman Kaira has vowed that his party will resist the privatisation of 31 Public Sector Enterprises (PSE) and will not accept the loot sale of the national assets to the crony capitalists.
He expressed his dismay over the decision because even the profit-making public enterprises were also on the hit list of the government which defied their claim of selling those PSEs which were running on losses.
He said the OGDC and the banks were the success story of the country’s economy and were contributing in the national exchequer in a big way and their privatisation was beyond comprehension except to benefit those who were known for good rapport with the people now in the corridors of power.
He said the PPP would mobilise the social resistance against the decision of the government to privatise the PSEs indiscriminately regardless of their imperatives of strategic considerations.
He said the PML (N) had committed that they would make these PSEs profit making organisations with roots to branches restructuring and by inducting management experts within short span of time but all proved just political slogans.
He added the government had decided to follow another track of getting rid of the PSEs and thus contemplated throwing the baby with the bathing tub.
He made it clear that the PPP would not let the interests of the employees working in these PSEs be jeopardized. The greed and lust of potential buyers would be frustrated with the support of the people, media, civil society and political leadership, he added.
He regretted that the prime minister and his party were living up to its reputation of safeguarding the interests of the traders at the expense of all and sundry.
He also criticised the recent enhancement of GST in a number of items, adding that imposition of taxation was the sole prerogatives of the parliament and could not be imposed through an executive order.
