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| September 14, 2005 | Wednesday | Sha'aban 9, 1426 |
Privatization of power sector opposed
ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: The Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union has urged President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz not to privatize power sector, saying that it would neither profit the government nor the consumers.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, the union General-Secretary Khurshid Ahmad said the government should take a lesson from what he said the bitter experience of privatization of energy sector in other countries which had led to not only power tariff hikes but also supply breakdown after they followed the framework imposed by the World Bank.
Speaking on the occasion, Stephen Thomas, an expert in energy sector, said Wapda was the only authority which could best serve the need of citizens by supplying power on fair rates which would not be possible in case the organization was privatized.
“The privatization of thermal energy in California (USA) has led to accelerate its prices almost 300 times as a result the local industry is directly affected.”
In reply to a question, he said in case Wapda was privatized industries in Pakistan including agriculture would not be able to maintain competition under the WTO regime.
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