ISLAMABAD, May 25: PTCL employees’ union on Thursday moved the Supreme Court challenging the telecom giant’s privatisation. A petition, drafted by Ibrahim Satti, was filed under the apex court’s origional jurisdiction on fundamental rights by Haji Khan Bhatti, president of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) Lions Union. It urged the Supreme Court to set aside the sale of 26 per cent shares of PTCL in the national interest.

It terms the entire process of privatisation and handing over of its management illegal and against constitutional provisions.

Respondents include the federal government through its cabinet committee on privatisation, secretary of the ministry of information technology, the Privatization Commission, chairman of the PTCL, secretary of the Privatisation Commission, Abdul Rahim Al Nooryani of Etisalat International Pakistan, President Mohammad Addullah Bamakhrama president PTCL and Salem Al Akebary, Senior Vice-President of PTCL.

The petition also questioned the legality of the Privatization Commission Ordinance, terming it to be against the Constitution and said that the entire procedure without proper legal backing. It also contended that the commission had no legal authority to offer PTCL’s shares for sale.

The petition terms PTCL’s privatisation non-transparent and alleged that ‘secret deals’ had been struck to sell the profitable entity at a throwaway price which, too, was not paid in accordance with the agreement.

Instead of cancelling the bid, it argued, the commission rescheduled the payment in a questionable manner.