May 2, 2002	Thursday	Safar 18, 1423

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RAWALPINDI, May 1: The government should discontinue the exploitative policies of privatization and downsizing which are being dictated to it by international financial institutions, including the World Bank (WB) and International Monitory Fund (IMF).

This was stated by Aasim Bukhari, the head of People’s Rights Movement (PRM), while talking to a gathering at the Rawalpindi Press Club.

The event had been organized jointly by the PRM, the National Workers Party, Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists, All-Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign and the Daily Wagers and Painters Welfare Association in connection with the International Labour Day.

He criticized the government’s policy of excluding the masses from policy- making, saying that nobody in the public knew anything about the spending of dollars provided by the IMF and WB.

He also criticized President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s IMF- and WB-dictated policies which, he said, had pushed up the prices of various utilities in the past two years.

All the participant observed the May Day with the pledge to keep alive the tradition of the labourers of Chicago, who in 1886, fought against the brutal policies of their country’s capitalists by decreasing the working hours from 18 to 10 and

sacrificing their lives for the cause.

The participants demanded the release of the leaders and workers of Balochistan Civil Secretariat.

They also demanded the apprehension of those responsible for violence against journalists in Faisalabad and Rawalpindi.

The participants also demanded the implementation of the Seventh Wage Board Award for newspaper employees. They urged the government to drop the “Press Council” idea.

OUR REPORTER ADDS: A People’s Rights Movement spokesman in a statement, issued here on Wednesday, condemned the fact that more than two and a half years since this government had come to power, the basic rights of association and assembly continued to be denied to workers organizations.

Besides, arbitrary legislation such as the Removal of Service Ordinance for government employees indicated a complete disregard of workers welfare, he said.

Kutcha Abadi dwellers, rickshaw drivers, daily wagers, landless tenants and many other groups are part of the working class, he said and added, it is time for formal trade unions to link their struggle with that of such groups.

The working class should unite in view of the alliance of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund with the elite groups, he maintained.