02 March 2004	Tuesday	10 Muharram 1425

KARACHI, March 1: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has said it will oppose privatization of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company as it would render more than 40,000 skilled workers jobless.

There are serious concerns among the workers on reports of PTCL privatization and it would not be accepted at any cost, said acting president of the MMA Qazi Hussain at a meeting with a delegation of the PTCL Workers Pak Union here on Sunday.

He assured the delegation that the six-party religious alliance would take every step necessary for the protection of PTCL workers' jobs and raise this issue at the national level.

Observing that the rulers were selling out national institutions at the behest of the United States, Mr Ahmed, who also heads the Jamaat-i-Islami, said he feared that the sale of institutions having importance with regard to defence, would create problems for Pakistan.

He urged the PTCL workers to get united and eliminate the corrupt people supporting the rulers for privatizing the institution and asked them to elect a leadership determined to struggle against the PTCL privatization.

The MMA leader asked the authorities to refrain from privatizing the PTCL and regularize the daily wage employees at the earliest besides giving them the right to cast their votes. The delegation told him that the PTCL was a profitable institution, and its sale to foreign companies would be a national loss. - PPI