Speakers at the meeting of Shura Hamdard (SH) Karachi chapter urged the government that ongoing process of privatisation should be transparent and above board and the national strategic nature assets be not given to foreigners.
The meeting, chaired by Qutbuddin Aziz, was held on Thursday (July 14) on the topic "Privatisation, economic development of Pakistan and rights of employees" at a local hotel.
Hamdard Foundation Pakistan and Shura Hamdard Pakistan President Sadia Rashid while addressing the meeting emphasised the government of Pakistan should keep major shares while it was going to privatise any institution or corporation so that employees of the concerned enterprise might not be affected otherwise the country would face other worrisome problems of unemployment etc.
Qutubuddin Aziz was of the view the process of privatisation should be transparent and above board and country's strategic assets be not given to foreigners.
Stating the example of an oil marketing company UNOCAL of America to which China wanted to purchase in dollars 16 billion, he said the Americans were now demanding it should not be sold to China and before deal a detail discussion be held in American Senate whether it should be sold to China or not.
Pak Steel former Chairman Haq Nawaz Akhtar said the privatisation was being done in hurried and thoughtless manner and there was no reason to privatise the Steel Mill.
The Mill had paid its loans by itself and now was running in profit. He said that headline privatisation and privatisation of strategic industry be stopped and government should explain the clear reasons of privatisation of any industry to the nation. He opined the privatisation be made conditional to the failure of overcome the managerial, financial and technical difficulties by the management and those industries which could not be controlled by government management be put to privatisation only.
Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) ex-director general Dr Mirza Arshad Ali Beg said the privatisation was the agenda of international monetary fund (IMF) and World Bank, which had been imposed on us, that we should sale our assets and pay their loans. He pointed out the tunnel No 2 of Baglihar dam had been swept away in recent flood because the Indians were storing water to produce 900 Mega Watt electricity and not 460 MW as they told. Our Commissioner of Sindh Water Treaty should take notice of it, he added.
Colonel Mukhtar Ahmed Butt (Retd) said it was general practice that those institutions which were going in deficit were privatise, but in our country the institutions which were giving huge profits such as PTCL were being privatised and there was no justification for this step. We should demand that the profitable institutions must not be privatised, he concluded.
Major General Ghulam Umar (Retd) was of the opinion that process of privatisation after all in the interest of Pakistanis. Because some private institutions were running their projects in nice way and they succeeded in getting foreign loans too.
Professor Dr Syed Amjad Ali Jaffery said the amount received through privatisation be spent on the payment of loans.
Islamuddin Agha said people did not know where the money received through privatisation was being spent while country's loan had increased by rupees six billion in recent days. He suggested that the amount of privatisation be spent on alleviating the poverty. He said that if we handed over the strategic assets to foreigners in privatisation we invited by ourselves to East India Company on our cost.
Mohammed Ahmed Sabzwari said the local bidders should be given preference in the process of privatisation, because in this way country's resources would rest in the country. To give basic industries in privatisation was not a wise step, he maintained.
Korangi Industries Association Chairman Mohammed Haseeb Khan said we should not privatise profitable corporations like PTCL, however, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) could be privatised, but there was no buyer for that. Privatisation should be done with the consultation of local people and the shares of local should be 51 per cent and of foreigners be 49 per cent. He said bureaucracy was still a hindrance in setting up industries. Without developing small and medium enterprises the problem of unemployment could not be solved. He demanded that industrial zones like the zones set up in Punjab province, be established in Karachi and Sindh.
Khalid Ikramullah Khan commenting on privatisation gave example of China where allotting 51 per cent shares to management and 49 per cent to workers had set up joint ventures of management and workers. This example should be followed in Pakistan, he said adding that Chinese had not sold their industrial units to foreigners, but compelled them to establish their own unit in China instead.
Mohammed Saeed Siddiqui, Mazhar Ali, Syed Mustafa Brelvi, Syed Aftab Zaidi and Professor Dr Iqbal Qureshi also spoke on the occasion.
Shura in two separate condolence resolutions expressed its deep sorrow over the Ghotki incidence and condoled the deaths of victims and the death of Begum Almas Haroon, a Pakistan Movement's worker, who died few days back.-PR
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