HYDERABAD, Feb 22: Federal Privatisation Minister Syed Naveed Qamar has defended the government plan to privatise some important state enterprises, including Pakistan Post and Pakistan Railways, and dispelled a perception that it will lead to unemployment and additional financial burden on the people.

He said that the government had formulated a new privatisation policy on the basis of the experiences of past 10 to 15 years in order to introduce effective management of national assets.

The minister was talking to journalists after launching motorcycles, CNG rickshaw and rickshaw motorcycle of DS Motors in the Site area here.

Disagreeing with a questioner that something had forced the government to go for privatisation of the enterprises swiftly, he said that it was a policy shift that had followed assessment of market conditions and the country’s status in the last 10 to 15 years.

“So we decided to consider public-private partnership as preferred procedure rather than going for all out sale of assets to meet our budget requirements. We plan to introduce better management of our assets so that their full potential can be realised”, he said.

It (privatisation) was not going to take place in a day and it would entail a lot of work, especially in respect of major sectors, he said.

For instance, he said, the Pakistan Railways was not working as per its full potential and it badly needed expansion of track and new tracking system.

“There are issues of (railway) stations, our ticketing policy and full supplies of fuel.

“It (PR) needs efficient management. We are not going to outright sell the department as we are looking for induction of new people to run it efficiently,” he said.

About the KESC’s privatisation and subsequent repercussions, he said it was in the light of the KESC’s privatisation that the government policy had taken a major turn.

He said had KESC privatisation been done on the new pattern, the power utility would have been an improved area.

He said: “All of us are aware of mistakes committed in KESC privatisation which was done in haste to get rid of it. We won’t repeat it,” he said.

He rejected PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s claim that a conspiracy was afoot to get him disqualified, saying that the government wanted to ensure stability in the working of provincial or federal governments.

He expressed the hope that political forces would help the government to ensure stability rather than destabilising it.

Answering a question, he said that protest was the right of everyone but taking it to a level that badly affected performance of institutions was destabilisation.

When asked whether lawyers’ long march was a threat to the government, he said that the government wanted to settle every issue smoothly and there should be no disruption in routine life and the government needed to remain alert.