KARACHI: Joint struggle against privatisation stressed
KARACHI, July 7: Speakers at a seminar on Friday described the privatisation of national assets, banks and other industrial concerns, institutions and corporations as ‘against national interest’ and urged labourers, common people and political parties to initiate joint struggle against the anti-people and anti-Pakistan steps of the government.
The seminar on “Privatisation and economic independence” was organised by the Anti-Privatisation and People’s Rights Forum at Karachi Press Club.
Addressing the seminar, veteran politician Meraj Muhammad Khan said like foreign and internal policies of Pakistan, the economic policy of the country too was being prepared and implemented on foreign dictation and “a foreign agent had been placed as chief executive of the country to sell all its valuable assets”.
He said that crime rate was surging due to poor economy as all claimed benefits of privatisation proved a farce. “Over Rs316 billion have been earned from privatisation since 1999 but hardly a billion was spent on repayment of foreign debt, creating employment opportunities and alleviation of poverty,” he claimed.
He said steps of General Musharraf and his loyalists were leading Pakistan towards civil war. He said analysis showed that the country’s debts increased to Rs850 billions while trade deficit also increased, which proved that Pakistan was at the verge of economic collapse.
Meraj Muhammad Khan also claimed that army would never hold next general elections “free, fair and transparent” as in that case, they would have to answer for their wrongdoings, treason, violating the Constitution and plundering the national wealth.Terming the privatisation ‘highly mysterious and non-transparent’, Pakistan People’s Party leader and former senator Taj Haider alleged that huge commissions were obtained by the persons associated with selling of national assets on throwaway prices to multinationals and business groups.
He said that many political leaders were asking for inclusion of a pledge in the Charter of Democracy that privatisation would be halted. However, he claimed that there was no institution left by the government for any further privatisation.
Regarding PTCL’s privatisation, Taj Haider claimed that the market value of its 26 per cent shares was over US$9 billion but they were sold to Etisalat only at US$ 2.6 billions. “Earlier, its 6 per cent shares had been sold through stock exchange for over US$ 940 millions,” he claimed.
“There were so many discrepancies in the sale of Pakistan Steel that even the Supreme Court could not help the government. The Council of Common Interest will only facilitate the government to privatise the mill safely,” he charged.
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MNA and Jamaat-i-Islami leader Muhammad Hussain Mehnti claimed that the privatisation process would result in creating administrative and financial chaos in the country.He said that people, political parties, labour leaders and unions as well as Parliament had opposed the privatisation of KESC, but the government fulfilled its borrowed agenda.
He demanded formation of a commission comprising Parliamentarians to probe into irregularities in the privatisation process and allegations of financial embezzlement committed in the whole process.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Sindh chief Zubair Khan said that unless labourers and students were mobilised by political parties, they would never be able to get rid of dictatorship and its supporters who were getting benefits.
He said that privatisation process was marred with corruption and whenever genuine democratic government would be formed all those responsible for selling Pakistan in pieces would be taken to task.
Afif Alvi, Amin Khattak, Hasil Bizenjo, Raheel Iqbal, Yousuf Masti Khan and Aftab Naveed also spoke.—PPI
