HYDERABAD, April 29: The Sindh chapter of the Labour Party Pakistan on Tuesday ridiculed the privatisation minister’s statement that the process of privatisation would be transparent and said the basic question to decide was whether it was in the interest of people or not.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club, the party leaders Younus Rahu, Mehar Akhund, Mohib Laghari and Pawal Chandio objected to the continuation of privatisation policy but at the same time welcomed the government’s decisions to tackle the burning issues of Balochistan, Wana and Waziristan through dialogue, repeal IRO-2002, restore workers and students unions and increase minimum wage of labourers.

They said this May Day witnessed ignominious defeat of the allies of the dictator and a new elected government in the presence of an unconstitutional president.

Younus Rahu said that Musharraf’s claim of good governance was nothing but hoax. His good governance was based on corruption, oppression, loot and plunder, he said.

The working class and the masses rejected in Feb 18 elections the political and economic policies of the supporters of Musharraf, which only gave rise to poverty, hunger and unemployment and resulted in disposing of hundreds of profitable national enterprises and financial institutions.

Giving an example, he claimed that Habib Bank which was worth Rs570 billion, was sold for only Rs23 billion and an attempt was made to dispose of Steel Mills, which was valued at Rs500 billion, for only Rs22 billion but for the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which stopped the process.He said that the privatisation of national assets had directly affected 800,000 employees and indirectly hit 4.250 million others and led to closure of no less than 70 nationalised units. Due to imperialist policies of Musharraf government more than 6,000 industrial units ceased production, he claimed.

He said that the prices of consumer goods during Musharraf regime skyrocketed by 200 per cent and gamblers had a free rein to loot and plunder in the stock exchange.

Rahu said that Musharraf’s regime continued Ziaul Haq’s war in Afghanistan for the protection of American interests gave Pakistan heroine and Kalashnikov culture and encouraged racial and religious terrorism.

Akbar Bugti and Balach Mari were killed in Balochistan, thousands of political workers in Sindh and Balochistan went missing and Sindh continued to be deprived of its due share of water and resources, he said.

He said that Musharraf did not even spare judiciary and thousands of lawyers, civil society activists and journalists were arrested and tortured. The gory incidents of May 12 and April 9 were engineered and the murderers were still being protected in order to sabotage the struggle for the restoration of deposed judges, he said.

Rahu said that the government had failed even to establish a ministry for the welfare of women and had still been hesitant on the issue of the restoration of judges.