KARACHI, Aug 15: The All-Party Conference, organized by the Pakistan People’s Party, has through various resolutions criticized the regime’s economic polices besides accusing it of undermining the federation by advocating projects like Kalabagh Dam and subverting the concept of devolution by making the local bodies answerable to the chief minister instead of the electorate and indulging in pre-poll rigging.

According to the resolution, the APC participants deplored the continued and unabated inflation and rising prices, which was playing havoc with the day-to-day life of the common man.

Provincial secretary-general of the PPP, Nafees Siddiqui, and coordinator of the APC, Waqar Mehdi, said the conference held that economic policies of the rulers were designed to get support of only a small section of society so as to sustain the rulers in power.

The APC also took strong notice of the rise in the price of petroleum products, which were regulated by the government-appointed committee. It also condemned the government policies owing to which the common man was left at the mercy of market manipulators and hoarders.

It rejected the government’s claim about law and order situation and alleged that it was deteriorating day-by-day. Gun running was the major trading opportunity, it maintained.

It resolved that IRO 2002, enforced by the government was directly in violation of the right of association and collective barging of the workers.

The conference, therefore, demanded that it should be repealed and instead IRO 1969 be reintroduced.

It demanded that section 27b of the Banking Companies Ordinance 1962 should be repealed as it takes away the right of the trade unions and was in violation of ILO conventions.

The conference also resolved that section 2A of Civil Services Tribunal Act 1973, be repealed as it took away the jurisdiction of the labour courts and even the High Courts. It demanded that Presidential Ordinance of Removal of Services should be withdrawn.

In a joint declaration the conference also resolved that the provincial government, with the active support of the federal government, had taken several anti-people steps to rig the local bodies elections. In this context, it cited the bifurcation of districts of Larkana, Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas and Hyderabad, and said even Talukas were not spared.

LAWLESSNESS: Pakistan People’s Party Sindh chief Syed Qaim Ali Shah has accused the government of adding to the woes of the people and being responsible for price spiral, lawlessness, unemployment and poverty and said the PPP would change the situation if voted to power.