June 04, 2006	Sunday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1427

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PESHAWAR, June 3: The Awami National Party has condemned the sale of the Associated Ghee Mills, Nowshera, on a low price, alleging that national assets are being looted by the government and a few capitalist elements.

ANP secretary-general Mian Iftikhar Hussain said in a press release issued here on Saturday that local labourers were being expelled from the mills and those from Punjab were being employed.

He said the mills’ owners had purchased it for Rs170 million in 1992 and paid one-forth of the amount to take over it. At that time the mills had raw material worth Rs140 million and reserve funds of Rs120 million, he said.

He said the owners had taken a Rs400 million loan from bank and purchased the Hafeez Ghee Mills in Multan and Alliance Textile in Jhelum.

He said that under the Ghee Corporation of Pakistan, the production of the Nowshera mills had been 4,000 tons and 560 labourers worked there but now its production was 53,000 tons, while 437 workers were employed there. He said now the owners intended to sell the mills at a throwaway price. He warned the owners that expulsion of labourers from the mills would lead to protest.

He alleged that lower wages were paid to Pukhtun employees of the mills than those from Punjab.