The Hindu : Front Page : Troops seize Pakistan telecom ahead of strike

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 13, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Troops seize Pakistan telecom ahead of strike

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces seized control of the national telecoms firm and netted scores of trade union leaders on Sunday after they called a strike against the company's privatisation next week, officials and union leaders said.

The deployment of troops and police officers follows the Government's announcement on Saturday that bids would be invited to invest in 26 per cent of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd. (PTCL) on June 18.

The Government had earlier postponed the privatisation of the country's largest telecoms company to end a 10-day standoff with 55,000 PTCL workers.

Military officials said security forces had taken control of key PTCL installations in major cities while police and paramilitary rangers were posted to check on the law and order situation. ``We have sent our experts from the Corps of Signals on the request of the PTCL authorities to take control of all important installations,'' said military spokesman Colonel Idrees Malik.

Witnesses said troops arriving in machine-gun fitted vehicles took control of telephone exchanges and vital installations in major cities of the populous Punjab province.

``We have asked the staff to perform their duties as usual,'' an army officer in the central city of Multan said.

``However we would not let them switch off or discontinue the telecom system in any case.''

Union leaders have threatened to paralyse the service if the decision is not withdrawn by Wednesday. However the Government has refused to back down. A PTCL employees action committee said about 150 had been detained in the police crackdown against union leaders and workers across the country.

300 workers held

In a pre-emptive move against a planned strike at Pakistan's largest state-run telephone company, authorities have detained more than 300 workers and security forces have been deployed at the providers' facilities, a union leader said on Sunday. The Government plans to sell off 26 per cent of shares in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd. (PTCL) next Saturday and union leaders fear job losses despite Government assurances.

Union leader Shahid Ayub claimed more than 300 workers were detained countrywide over the weekend for ``disturbing peace.''

Authorities have confirmed dozens of arrests and that troops have been sent to PTCL facilities after union leaders threatened to disrupt telephone facilities unless the privatization plan is withdrawn by June 15.

On Saturday, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Privatization and Investment, announced that bidding for PTCL would take place next Saturday. Mr. Ayub criticissed the proposed sale.

``This is a profit earning organisation. There is no ground for it to be sold. There will be no security for thousands of its workers and they will be made jobless,'' he said.

— AP

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page