Bilawal vows to resist privatisation plan

Says his party won’t allow govt to sell off national institutions

LAHORE: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday criticised the PTI-led government’s plan to privatise several state-owned entities, saying that his party would not allow the “selected” regime to sell off national institutions.

Speaking at an event in Lahore, the scion of the Bhutto dynasty said selected governments had always pursued privatisation.

“[Former military ruler] Musharraf was unable to sell off national institutions and the puppet government now won’t succeed either,” he added.

The PPP chairman said selected governments sold off state-owned entities at throwaway prices. “When these institutions are performing well, the profits are not shared with its workers. However, when they suffer losses, the workers are considered part of the problem,” he observed.

“The only solution to this problem is a government that actually represents the people, particularly workers.”

Bilawal vowed that his party would strengthen national institutions so that there would be no need to privatise them.
The PPP chairman also said labourers’ rights were under assault from all sides.



“Labourers are being subjected to economic murder. The rate at which unemployment has increased in the last 15 months has not been seen in 10 years,” he maintained.

“We had pointed out that the last budget would be economic murder of the people. The government is trading over workers’ rights with the IMF [International Monetary Fund].”

Bilawal said his party would introduce a new labour policy and hoped that the judiciary would stand by the working class.

“Ensuring labourers their rights is part of our manifesto. We will thwart the conspiracies against workers together,” he added.
“Soon the PPP would come to power and ensure the provision of rights and benefits to labourers.”

The PPP chairman promised that if his party came to power, the wages of workers would be increased so that they could afford basic facilities and live a better life.

“We have to unite to protect the rights of workers in this age of technology.”

Bilawal reiterated his call for the government to renegotiate its terms with the IMF for the $6 billion bailout package.

“The people are suffering because of existing conditions of the loan and unbearable taxes have been imposed on them to meet targets set by the IMF.”

The PPP has always maintained that labourers’ rights were the cornerstone of party’s democratic ideology.

Earlier, Bilawal said the constitution guaranteed justified wages, personal security and equal rights and his party would continue to fight for labourers’ rights until they were provided with the benefits they were entitled to.