KARACHI, April 28: The Pakistan People’s Party on Friday slammed the government’s privatization policy and termed it part of international agenda of handing over Pakistan’s life line and strategic assets to foreigners.

Addressing a news conference, parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance in the Senate and PPP’s deputy secretary general Mian Raza Rabbani demanded formation of bipartisan parliamentary committee to probe into privatization of Pakistan Steel and other national assets.

He also accused the regime of following anti-people policies to serve its foreign masters and vowed that the PPP, when voted in power, would not allow foreigners to control strategic assets of Pakistan. The policy of PML (Q) government was a failure and had resulted in the sale of Pakistani strategic assets in the hands of foreigners at throw away prices, he alleged.

He also denounced baton charge on the protesting workers of Dadu Sugar Mills outside the Sindh Assembly building and claimed that it had exposed the regime’s anti-worker policies which were part of its privatization strategy.

With regard to the KESC privatization, he said, it was an example of such a policy owing to which the city was facing the worst electricity crisis in its history. He claimed that foreign owners of the KESC had failed to deliver and as a consequence all residential areas of the city were facing power breakdowns of over six hours in this hot weather. He accused the government of creating various cartels to benefit its “foreign masters and their internal collaborators.” In this context, he referred to soaring sugar price and said that sugar cartel was so strong that even the NAB did not pursue inquiry. Similar was the case with cement and automobile cartels.

In addition, he alleged that a new cartel had been formed by a foreign company which in days to come would be detrimental to the economy of Pakistan as steel was the basic industry. He explained that Tuwairriqi group had been given the permission for US$300 million billet plant near Port Qasim. It was also part of the consortium that had bought Pakistan Steel Mills. So the cartel would be in full force in the future, he added.

He alleged that privatization of Pakistan Steel was another black mark on the face of the government as over 4547 acres of land having market value of Rs20 million per acre was sold only at Rs1.1 million per acre along with the mill.