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| May 31, 2005 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1426 |
Workers still control PTCL HQ
ISLAMABAD, May 30: Workers’ control of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company’s (PTCL) headquarters continued for the fifth consecutive day on Monday but ‘disappearance’ of a leading union leader has created fear among other office-bearers. Some union leaders told Dawn that a member of PTCL Workers Unions Action Committee, Malik Maqbool Hussain, who had been making fiery speeches against the corporation’s privatization at the headquarters since its occupation by workers, had gone missing on Monday and was believed to have been detained by intelligence agencies.
“The last time Mr Hussain called me on my cell phone was in the afternoon and told me that he had been invited by officials of an intelligence agency to their office in sector F-6 and now they did not allow him to leave,” action committee spokesman Azad Qadri told Dawn.
He said a meeting of the action committee held at the headquarters in sector G-8/4 at 10pm discussed the situation arising out of Mr Hussain’s absence. Union leaders decided that they would never accept the government decision to privatize the corporation.
In the morning, workers started gathering at the PTCL headquarters. By 10am more than 6,000 workers had gathered. They chanted slogans like ‘No compromise on privatization’ and ‘Incentives are our rights and no substitute for privatization’.
The situation around the PTCL headquarters turned tense on Sunday night when more than 200 FC personnel and about 400 policemen took positions after switching off lights at the headquarters’ lawn.
Helicopters were seen hovering over the headquarters throughout the day as hundreds of FC men and police personnel had taken positions around the building. Dozens of policemen could be seen inside the building at various sections and also on the lawn.
Union leaders said they had received an invitation for talks from the Privatization Commission. However, the action committee had taken no decision on the issue.
The Socialist Movement of Pakistan (SMP), People’s Right Movement of Pakistan (PRM) and Trade Union Rights Campaign (TURC) announced their support to PTCL workers and would hold a demonstration here on Wednesday.
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