KARACHI, June 8: Pakistan Telecommunication Company staff and law-enforcement agencies were on a collision course on Wednesday when union leaders said they would go on strike from Karachi to Khyber if their workers were arrested. Their threatening remarks came in response to the latest move of the PTCL management who had Rangers deployed on all the important telephone exchanges of the city.

Talking to Dawn from Islamabad, a union leader said he feared the management would resort to coercion in the event of a breakdown of negotiations. “We understand they plan to take into custody protesting workers of PTCL. We are not courting confrontation. All we want is job protection. Is this asking for too much?” he wondered.

Meanwhile, a press statement issued by the Sindh Rangers said that Rangers had been deployed at all important installations of PTCL to avert any law and order situation after deadlock in talks between the PTCL establishment and workers.

PTCL officials confirmed that they asked the law-enforcement agencies for help when it became clear that the ongoing talks between the protesting workers and the Privatization Commission might break down.