Instead of privatisation,PIA management should be improved: Imran

PTI holds countrywide rallies against govt’s tax measures, privatisation plan

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said that the management of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) should be improved instead of privatising the national flag carrier.

The PTI chairman launched his countrywide protest from Karachi on Saturday against PIA privatisation and the killing of two protesting employees outside the Karachi airport.

Imran Khan had called for a countrywide protest campaign against what he termed the government’s mindless privatisation plan and crippling tax measures.

On Saturday, Imran Khan arrived at Karachi airport in the afternoon and reached Star Gate where PTI rallies from all the six districts of the metropolis assembled and staged an hours-long dharna, chanting slogans against the government.

Later, Imran joined the PIA protest camp to express solidarity with the employees. As Imran reached the camp it reverberated with slogans of “go Nawaz go”.

Addressing the participants, Imran Khan said, “Today what has been done in Karachi is a replica of Lahore’s Model Town where protesters were gunned down in broad daylight. The PML N has a tradition of using force,” he said and demanded that a Judicial Commission should be formed to probe the firing incident.

He asked the prime minister to hold a dialogue with the PIA employees as the passengers around the world are suffering due to the protest and strikes of the employees. “Dialogue is the solution to every problem in a democracy, violence cannot solve the problems,” he said

The PTI stands with PIA labourers and everyone should stand united against the firing incident over peaceful protests, he said.

The PTI chairman accused the government of deliberately making the national airline a loss-making entity in order to prepare the ground for its privatisation. National entities should be privatised only to benefit people, he said.

Once PIA was internationally recognised and was used for its expertise to set up airlines like Emirates and Singapore Airlines, he said, adding that the government should have taken the opposition into confidence over PIA’s privatisation.

He asked that if by raising taxes the government wants to raise revenues then why does it need a finance minister.

The PTI released a list of demands put forth in the charter relating to PIA’s privatisation and other tax measures.

1. Reduce petroleum and kerosene prices by Rs5 per litre and diesel price by Rs20 per litre.

2. Eliminate three new taxes added on electricity since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to power.

3. Eliminate GIDC and announce that the proposed new infrastructure tax on gas will not be imposed.

4. Take immediate steps to revitalise state institutions like PIA, the Pakistan Steel Mills, HMC and HEC instead of throwing them away in a loot sale.

5. Immediately pay the outstanding salary and pensions of employees of all state institutions like the Steel Mills, PMTF and others.

6. Introduce urgent FBR reforms and increase the direct tax collection from the rich and powerful tax evaders.

7. Take immediate steps to bring back all the black money of Pakistanis from Swiss banks, Dubai properties and other foreign investments, in particular those of the ruling elite.

Demands related to the PIA include: 1. Announce a Judicial Commission. 2. Withdraw Essential Services Act implementation. 3. Assure workers that no coercive action will be taken against them. 4. Announce deferment of PIA corporatisation by one year. 5. Appeal to the employees to defer their strike so that Pakistani citizens do not suffer.

Later, he briefly talked to the media and said that the national action plan should expeditiously be implemented to eliminate extremism from the country and action should also be taken against militant wings of the political parties, adding that Police Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been depoliticised due to which the law and order situation there has improved.

He urged that the police in other provinces should also be depoliticised and reforms should be made in making the police more effective.

Imran Khan also offered Fateha at the residence of Salim Akbar in Model Colony and Inayat Raza at North Nazimabad. Both were employees of PIA who fell victim to firing when the staff was protesting against privatisation two days earlier.

Meanwhile, PTI central leader Saifullah Niazi led the rally in Islamabad, which culminated at the Aabpara intersection with his speech, assailing the PML-N government for its failed economic policies and mounting unprecedented burden of taxes on the masses.

Scores of PTI activists and workers from the federal capital, Rawalpindi and adjoining areas joined the rally here. After a gap of several months, this was PTI’s first impressive show.

Niazi castigated the PML-N rulers for not focussing on the country’s own resources to bring about an improvement in the economy and only relying on foreign loans and massive indirect taxation on the people.

“The incumbent government has looted the people in the name of democracy during the last three years and has a record of borrowing Rs5,000 billion loans. Where they have gone, nobody knows,” he said.

Charged PTI workers chanted slogans against the government and dua was offered at the end for the emancipation of the nation from the ‘ruthless’ rulers.

Former secretary of the party’s North Punjab chapter Zahid Husain Kazmi led a demonstration before the Rawalpindi Press Club. A large number of party workers, including men and women, took part in the activity. Many of them carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the government.

In Lahore, Dr Yasmin Rashid, the PTI ticket-holder from NA-120, who was the main organiser of the protest in Lahore on Saturday, said the government must feel the gravity of the situation rather than showing indifference to the circumstances and continuing its wrongdoings. She said the PML-N government had to accept the demands of the PIA employees and avoid inviting trouble for itself. She said only Imran Khan could steer the country out of its crises.

Earlier, a large number of PTI activists staged a protest in Lahore against the PIA privatisation and the killing of two airline workers.

The protest was held outside the Punjab Assembly and senior leaders of PTI Punjab including Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, Ejaz Chaudhry, opposition leader in the PA Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Shoaib Siddiqui participated in it.

Addressing the gathering, Ejaz Chaudhry said the protests would continue until the incumbent rulers were sent packing. He warned Federal Minister Pervaiz Rashid against using objectionable language.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI staged demonstrations throughout the province against PIA privatisation and the imposition of unjustified taxes on the people.

In the provincial capital, PTI activists, led by Minister of Public Health Engineering Shah Farman, District Nazim Muhammad Asim and others, gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club.

The activists chanted slogans against the federal government for what they said were anti-people policies.

Speaking on the occasion, the leaders said that the rulers were imposing taxes on people while siphoning their own wealth to foreign banks.

They demanded reforms in PIA instead of privatisation. They also came down hard on the government for imposing unnecessary taxes on electricity, gas, petrol, etc.

In Charsadda, the activists of PTI staged a protest against the proposed privatisation plan of the national flag carrier.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the use of force against its protesting employees, the protesters gathered outside the building of the Charsadda Press Club and staged a protest.

In Dargai, the leaders and the activists of the PTI took out a protest rally here against the privatisation of PIA and the imposition of taxes in Malakand division.

Led by the PTI leader Dr Fazal Muhammad, Muhammad Hayat Khan, Iftikhar Khan and others, the protesters were carrying banners and placards and chanted slogans against the federal government.

In Bannu, the leaders and the activists of PTI held protest rally against the proposed privatization of PIA and imposition of taxes.

  NNI adds: PTI protesters led a rally from District Council Chowk to Ghanta Ghar Chowk in Multan. The protesters demanded more reduction in the prices of petroleum products. The protesters said that the government that claimed to have provided relief to the people is now demanding bids for the airline that became Pakistan’s identity across the globe.