ISLAMABAD: Opposition senators continued their protest inside the house and also outside on Thursday against the government’s privatisation policy and the arrest of protesting OGDCL workers in Islamabad, forcing early prorogation of the session.

The members of the combined opposition comprising the PPP, Awami National Party and PML-Q first walked out of the Senate and then held a sit-in at the main entrance of the Parliament House building.

They demanded withdrawal of the FIR registered against OGDCL workers and their release from police custody.

Know more: Anti-privatisation protest: Scores injured as police, OGDCL workers clash

Led by PPP’s Raza Rab­bani, the senators sat on the ground for almost an hour and raised slogans of ‘Lathi Goli Ki Sarkar Nahi Chale Gi’ (No to the rule of sticks and bullets), ‘Ghundagardi Ki Sarkar Nahi Chale Gi’ (no to the rule of hooligans) and ‘No to privatisation’.

Opposition senators call for withdrawal of FIR registered against OGDCL workers

Mr Rabbani announced that the opposition would hold a sit-in on the Constitution Avenue when the government convenes the next Senate session.

Two treasury members – M. Hamza of the ruling PML-N and independent Humayun Mandokhel – also joined the opposition senators for some time and said they also were against the government’s policy to privatise profit-earning companies like the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited.

Only a few yards away from the sit-in, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid defended the government policy and clarified that OGDCL was not being privatised. Only a small portion of the company’s shares were being sold to improve its financial health, he said.

Earlier speaking on a point of order in the Senate, Raza Rabbani severely criticised the government for registering a case against the OGDCL workers.

The workers were baton-charged and tear-gassed on Wednesday by police when they tried to go to the Parliament House to register their protest against the government’s decision to privatise their company.

Mr Rabbani disclosed that the government had nominated 23 OGDCL workers and some unidentified people in the FIR. He claimed that some 60 labourers had been missing since a police raid on a bus carrying them on Wednesday night. He said the main office of OGDCL was still being surrounded by police.

He said the government had taken no action against the workers of PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek when they attacked the PTV building and broke into the Parliament House and remained within its premises for four days.

After his speech, the opposition senators walked out of the house and Chairman Nayyar Bokhari read out the prorogation order of the president.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2014