Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has pledged that his Party will safeguard and protect the national assets vociferously and warned PML-N government to desist from selling out Pakistan Steel, PIA and other state units through a suspicious privatization process.
The PPP Chairman was talking to a delegation of Pakistan Steel Peoples Workers Union (Registered) led by Union Chairman Shamshad Qureshi, which called on him at Bilawal House on Monday. Other PWU office-bearers Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, Ghulam Mustafa Zardari, Abdul Ghaffar Bughio, Syed Hameedullah and Mirza Tariq Javed accompanied him. PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, General Secretary Waqar Mehdi, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, Saeed Ghani, Javed Nagori, and Habibuddin Junaidi were also present on the occasion. The delegation briefed the Chairman in detail about the worst condition of Pakistan's biggest industrial unit under the PML-N government and its attempts to sell out it at throw away prices to its own hidden henchmen. Bilawal said that PPP won't allow rulers to selling or leasing out Pakistan Steel and severe opposition will be made to these attempts both inside and outside the Parliament. He said that PML-N was selling national assets while PTI appears to be supporting the move.
PPP Chairman assured that PPP won't leave Pakistan Steel employees in lurk and demanded that gas connection to the Steel Mills should be restored and production should be started without any further delay. "Salaries to the employees have not been paid since last five months while the outstanding dues of retired employees and pensions have also been stopped," he said and asked the government to immediately pay salaries and other dues to the employees.
Earlier, briefing the Chairman PPP about the conditions of Pakistan Steel, the delegation pointed out that foundation of the biggest industrial unit of Pakistan was laid by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on December 30, 1973. Anti-state and anti-labour elements had been painting Pakistan Steel as 'White Elephant' and burden on economy despite the fact that it had recovered the investment but paid back Rs 100 billion in the form of taxes to the government.
The delegation further briefed that for Pakistan Steel was giving production up to 90% of its capacity for two consecutive years but conspiracies against the unit started after PML-N came into power and pretexts were created to sell out it for peanuts. Eventually, the PSM was sold out for a meager amount of Rs 21.68 billion in 2006 during Musharraf regime. But on the directives of PPP leadership, the Peoples Workers Union challenged the so-called privatization first in High Court then in the Supreme Court and got the decision declared as null and void.
The PWU leaders pin-pointed that PML-N government started fresh conspiracies following coming into power in 2013 and disconnected its gas connection on June 10, 2015 when its production was 65% and the unit was shut down since last 32 months. Employees have not been paid salaries since five months while retired employees and the families of the expired employees have not been paid their outstanding dues since 2013. Health, Transport facilities and allowances have also been stopped. Currently, Pakistan Steel has no full-fledged CEO or PEO or General Manager.-PR