Govt using COVID-19 to curb fundamental human rights: Rabbani

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani Thursday said that the federal government is using the coronavirus to curb fundamental human rights and also favour crony capitalism.

“The Companies Act, 2017 was amended on April 30, 2020, through the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, wherein Section 452 of the Companies Act, 2017 has been amended to provide that if any Pakistani or dual national owning 10 percent shareholding in offshore company need not to declare the same in Pakistan and this obviously will benefit the vested interest who are in or supporting the present government,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

Senator Raza Rabbani said on the other hand, notwithstanding certain enactments brought the federal government barring dismissal of workers in wake of COVID-19 pandemic, various industrialists have sacked their employees without assigning any reason. He said the termination and a denial of salaries is taking place in number of industries like food, textile, garments, glass, paper, electronics, pharmaceuticals and other industries, they have not only sacked thousands of workers but their salaries and dues have also not been paid. Raza Rabbani said that when the working class demonstrates for their rights at the behest of capitalists, the police arrest and torture these workers.

He said the federal government has announced a package for the workers which till-date has not reached the working class and is being deliberately delayed by vested interests and the civil bureaucracy in the federal government.

He said the government should ensure that if the industrialists fail to comply with the law and continue to lay-off the workers they to be arrested.