Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has started a campaign to unite provinces against the federal government’s policy of privatisation. PPP has called upon all provincial governments to hold debates in their respective assembly sessions and adopt resolutions to force the federal government to shun its policy of privatising national assets and institutions.
Addressing a joint press conference at People’s Secretariat in Islamabad, PPP stalwart Senator Raza Rabbani said that he had written letters to the chief ministers of all four provinces, calling their attention towards the growing concerns over the central government’s privatisation policy.
“The government is introducing the privatisation policy to meet the conditions of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and capitalist institutions,” Rabbani alleged.
Strongly criticising the privatisation of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Rabbani said that despite the fact that the organisation is running in profits, the federal government has assured the international monetary bodies to privatise limited shares of PPL.
He said that the federal government has also assured the international financial giants to privatise the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, by end of this year.
FEDERAL GOVT MEDDLING IN PROVINCIAL MATTERS:
He also underlined the government’s recently issued list of public assets which it is planning to privatise. He said the privatisation of these institutions without the approval of Council of Common Interests (CCI) was unconstitutional as they come under second legislative list and are provincial subjects.
The senator said that PPP will raise the issue of sacking of employees in privatised institutions in the parliament and also through street protests. Reiterating PPP’s commitment to raise its voice against privatisation, Rabbani denounced the statement of the Privatisation Commission chairman regarding PIA employees in which the chairman had announced that at least eight thousand PIA employees would be sacked. Rabbani asked the government to clear the ambiguity regarding number of PIA shares to be sold in the stock market while strongly opposing the privatisation of “sensitive and most vital institutions”.