RAWALPINDI, March 10 The Railway Workers Union (RWU) Open Line held a protest demonstration outside the Rawalpindi Railway Station on Wednesday against the proposed privatisation of the Pakistan Railways (PR) and alleged corruption by the top-level management.

The demonstration, led by RWU President Jamil Raja, Riaz Tanoali, Nasir Khan, Raja Ayaz, Zulfiqar Khan, Mirza Rizwan, Raja Altaf, NawabAli and Ghulam Abbas, was attended by a large number of railway workers.

The protest demonstration was joined by scores of workers in the shape of rallies from Loco Shed, Diesel Shop, District Superintendent's office, Electrical Department as well as from Gujar Khan and Taxila.

Workers' Party Pakistan and National Student Federation activists also joined the protest to express solidarity with the railway workers.

Addressing the protesters, RWU Divisional President Jamil Raja alleged that the Railways management had destroyed the organisation and was creating a situation so as to force privatisation.

He said the managers drawn huge salaries while workers were being fired, subjected to insecure contact work, deprived of the facilities.

He said the RWU had presented 42 points to Railways management for revival of the organisation.

“If the management does not act upon these recommendations it will prove its own lack of seriousness in redressing the fiscal crisis”, he added.

Mr Raja said the PPP-led government should extricate itself from the clutches of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he called the main force behind the Pakistan Railways' privatisation.