RAWALPINDI - The speakers at a protest demonstration against the government’s proposed plan to privatise Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) warned rulers to change their mind or else the power supply of Prime Minister House, Awan-e-Sadr and all other important offices would be suspended.
They also asked the government to stop playing into hands of IMF like a puppet and pay attention on the development of IESCO instead of destroying it. The speakers included All Pakistan WAPDA Hydroelectric Workers Union (CBA) Regional Chairman Javed Baloch, Secretary Haji Zahir Gull, Fateh Khan and Asif Bangish, who addressed a large number of WAPDA workers staging a protest demonstration and sit-in at Katcheri Chowk against the government’s proposed plan of privatising the power generation and distributing companies. The protestors burnt tyres and chanted slogans against PPML-N for making its mind to privatise the revenue generating departments including IESCO.
“Go Nawaz Go” was the main slogan chanted by all the protestors, numbering in more than 400, who were holding banners and placards, and wearing black ribbons around their arms.
Addressing the protestors, the speakers vehemently denounced the proposed plan of the government and warned that they would shut down the electricity of all the government offices including PM House and Awan-e-Sadr, if their demand were not addressed. They said that the rulers were dancing on the tunes of IMF and destroying the revenue generating departments like IESCO, OGRA and PIA.
They said that the privatisation of IESCO would trigger unemployment in the country.
Javed Baloch said that the WAPDA workers had left attending their offices in all the subdivisions and would continue protest until acceptance of their demands.
Malik Fateh said that the WAPDA workers would block Mareer Chowk today (Thursday) at 11:00pm for pressing government.
SHO Civil Line Sattar Khan stopped workers of WAPDA from burning tyres in the middle of Katcheri Chowk. However, no confrontation held between police and protestors. The mess of WAPDA workers triggered gigantic traffic jam on all the roads linked with Katcheri Chowk.