Central Deputy Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Senior Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Siraj-ul-Haq has said that they will not allow the auction of national assets in the name of privatisation by PML-N government in the country. Addressing a press conference here at Al-Markaz-e-Islami, he said that after taking the labourers' bodies and political parties into confidence we will launch campaign against the privatisation of 31 public sector entities.
He was flanked by the Central President of National Labour Federation, Shams-ur-Rehman Swati, General Secretary JI, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shabir Ahmad Khan and Provincial Secretary Information, Israrullah advocate. He was of the view that in past instead of benefits the privatisation of national entities had resulted in inflicting economic and financial losses.
Siraj-ul-Haq alleged that national entities were first destroyed through corruption and incompetent management and then sold out cheaply. He said that India after 1947 is running 14000 trains, but Pakistan Railways totally destroyed. He said that privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will boost unemployment. He said in past privatisation rendered about 0.8 million people unemployed. Haq said that the total volume of national debt in 1991 was only US $23 billion, which has now climbed to US $64 billion.
He said that privatisation process in past was not transparent and urged the federal government to refrain from the privatisation of national entities and demanded restoration after hiring professional, competent and honest managements for these institutes. On this occasion, President National Labour Federation, Shams-ur-Rehman Swati said that JI has also remained in forefront in national security and support of labourers. The future line of action, he said would be decided in the national conference to be held in Lahore on October 28. The conference will be attended by the representatives of all political parties, labour federations and 71 public sector entities included in the list of privatisation.
