ISLAMABAD, June 7: Twenty-two out of the 27 members of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd’s Workers Action Committee (WAC) on Tuesday left here for their respective stations to lead the PTCL workers in their anti-privatisation strike with their talks with the government making no headway.

Sources told Dawn that the remaining five leaders were negotiating with the government side comprising federal Minister for Information Technology Awais Laghari, Privatisation Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Labour Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan till late evening.

They said Rashid Khan, Rana Tahir, Malik Maqbool Hussain, Zafar Zaidi and Khan Bhatti, who stayed in Islamabad, were firm in their opposition to privatisation. They were also demanding of the government to announce an Rs3.5 billion relief package for the workers as soon as possible to avoid a countrywide strike, sources said.

Hundreds of police personnel, special commandos and women police are present around the PTCL headquarters at Sector G-8/4, where only 150 to 200 workers are present.

The sources said fears are high that the government would arrest the five union leaders who were holding talks.