Protest Day against proposed privatisation observed

LAHORE
Thousands of workers of electricity companies observed ‘Protest Day’ on Thursday all over the country under All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union (CBA) by holding protest rallies and protest precessions to express their indignation over the proposed privatisation of national public utilities like electricity, oil and gas, civil aviation, PIA, railways on the behest of IMF and the World Bank.
All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union condemned the killing of journalists in Karachi. The workers held mass rallies in support of their legitimate demands in Peshawar, Mardan, Sawat, Islamabad, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sukkur, Quetta, Hyderabad and other cities of the country. At Lahore, a rally was held outside Awan-e-Iqbal, Egerton Road. The rally was participated by thousands of workers carrying flags, red banners, placards in support of their demands. They were chanting slogans, down with feudalism and capitalism and policies of IMF and World Bank and privatisation of national public utilities. The rally was addressed by IA Rehman, Secretary General, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and Jurist Abid Hassan Minto, ex-president, Bar Association of Pakistan and Trade Union Leader Khurshid Ahmad including Ms Yousaf Baloch, Chairman, Akbar Ali Khan, Add General Secretary, Osama Tariq, Secretary, All Pakistan Workers Confederation, Ch Anwar, Railways Workers Union and Zakir Ali Shah, Muzafar Mateen, Sajid Kazmi, Ch Maqsood, Sardar Fasih ur Rehman, Rana Akram, Zulqarnain Shah and other representatives of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union. At this occasion, IA Rehman demanded that the government should hold dialogue with the workers instead of following the dictation of IMF and the World Bank and take into confidence of the workers organisations on privatisation issue. Abid Hassan Minto declared that the electricity is a basic need of the citizens. It is the government constitutional obligations to provide cheap electricity and free from load shedding to the citizens instead of the privatization and extended full support to just struggle of the working class against the proposed privatization. Khurshid pointed out that the experience of privatization of Karachi Electric Supply Company, Multan and Rawalpindi Companies had completely failed even in the urban areas and policy of the adoption of privatisation of Electricity through Independent Power Houses led to raise the exorbitant price of electricity.