PESHAWAR: Awami Workers Party (AWP) has termed the sit-ins staged by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek in Islamabad a futile exercise.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, AWP chairman Fanoos Gujjar criticised both the government and the protesting parties for their failure to highlight issues of public interests and focus on the welfare of working class.

He said that the sit-ins could not serve the interests of the 99 per cent poverty-stricken people in the country. He said that the participants of the sit-ins didn’t condemn feudalism and capitalism, which were main causes of all the issues faced by the entire nation.

Gujjar criticises govt and protesters for ignoring working class

Mr Gujjar said that changing a government through force could not be termed a revolution because revolution meant bringing drastic changes in the entire political economy of the state.

“Unfortunately, feudal class has been ruling the country for the past 68 years and has control over all political parties. It will never allow any step against the status quo,” he said.

The AWP leader said that democratic institutions in the country were already weak. The situation would further worsen and if protest of Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri continued any longer, he added.

Flanked by AWP provincial president Shahab Khattak and general secretary Agha Bukhtiar Ali, Mr Gujjar rejected the policies of the government regarding the working class. He opposed privatisation of national institutions, saying it would render a large number of workers jobless. Privatisation is big source of corruption and nepotism, he added.

The AWP leader also condemned gagging of media through different tactics and violence against journalists. He termed it illegal and against the interests of the state.

Mr Gujjar also castigated the role of the imperialist countries, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) in the internal affairs of the country. He said that the rich were becoming richer and poor were becoming poorer owing to constant interference of those powers in the affairs of the country.

The AWP leader said that for avoiding further disturbance and keep the federation intact, it was essential to formulate a new social contract between the different nations of the country to give due rights to peasants, labourers, women and minorities.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2014