Rolling back 18th Amend to set alarm bells ringing for federation: Rabbani

KARACHI: The former Senate chairman and leader of Pakistan People's Party, Mian Raza Rabbani, has said in case the 18th Constitutional Amendment was rolled back, it would set alarm bells ringing for the federation.

Speaking at a press conference, at the PPP media cell on Saturday, the former Senate chairman said the results, of referendum for electing PIA's CBA, have proved that the movement of labourers in the national flag carrier is successful. Congratulating the Peoples’ Unity and its allied unions for winning the CBA referendum, Rabbani said the victorious union has won the poll by several thousands of votes at every station of the national flag carrier. He said the winning union has defeated the one backed by ruling PML-N which was also defeated in Lahore, He said these results show the PIA employees would never accept its privatization.

Rabbani said PIA's logo has been unduly changed without consulting the parliamentary committee. He said while the government spent 30,000 US Dollars on each plane to change the logo, it claims it does not have the money to pay for the salaries of the staff. Raza Rabbani said the PIA's management should accept and recognise the results of the referendum and should not depute Rangers at the PIA head office showing its reluctance to recognize the successful union. He said the PIA management should accept the referendum results as the ruling PML(N) is conducting campaign in favour of the sanctity of votes.

Rabbani warned the PIA's CEO of serious consequences for his job if he didn’t accept the results. He said the federal government in its last days should not take any unlawful action to deprive the PIA labourers of their due representation in the CBA. He said the parliament would be compelled to step in if any adverse action was taken by the government to deny the labourers mandate. Over the prolonged load-shedding in Karachi, he said the federation should step in and resolve the dispute between the SSGC and K-Electric, as the federal government has shares in both the utilities.