PESHAWAR, Oct 22: The Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution Employees Union has condemned the ban on trade union activities in the EOBI and termed it a complete violation of their basic rights and Constitution of the country.

According to an EOBI employees union statement, the government had decided to put a ban, through a Presidential Ordinance 2002, on the trade union activities in the institution, which was an attack on basic human rights.

A union spokesman, Ghafoor Khan, said this ban would provide a cover-up to the corrupt senior EBOI officials, who were involved in the biggest financial scam of the country. Two years ago, the corrupt bureaucrats helped Sheikh Barkatullah, a former EBOI chairman in slipping out of the country, he added.

He said Sheikh Barkatullah after robbing the institution of Rs4.4bn and slipped away, but his cronies were still operating in the EBOI.

The ban on the union, he said, was unjust as the workers would have to pay for it and the corrupt mafia would enjoy immunity.

He appealed to Gen Pervez Musharraf to immediately withdraw the ban on the trade activities in the EBOI.