Pro-worker outfits to speak out for the have-nots.

LAHORE -- Some pro-worker outfits have decided to observe the 'World Week against Inequality' by organising demonstrations, rallies and street theatres for highlighting the increasing gap between the haves and have-nots in the country.

Leaders of Haqooq-i-Khalq Movement (HKM), Labour Education Foundation (LEF), Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) and Progressive Labour Federation (PLF) told a press conference here on Sunday that the protest week would be observed parallel to the World Economic Forum being held in Davos from Jan 21-24 where, they alleged, the rich plan how to further plunder the poor across the globe.

HKM leader Ammar Ali Jan said the free market and privatisation era witnessed in the last couple of decades in the name of development gave the world only political instability, thanks to increase in unequal distribution of resources.

In Pakistan too, he said, the situation had gone from bad to worse making the successive governments approach the IMF for managing resultant economic crises. The IMF formula always worked against the poor because allocations for social sectors like health and education facilities were reduced and indirect taxes imposed that hurt the poor more than the rich, he lamented.

Protest demos to coincide with WEF meeting at Davos

Responding to a query, he said the masses were not coming out on roads against the anti-poor government policies, for individualism had been promoted through various means reducing the people to their own homes and life and those who dared to raise their voice have been made an example by trying them under terrorism law.

Seeing a ray of hope in the recently held students' march, he said efforts were on to organise farmers and trade unionists from various sectors for building a movement till budget days this year for forcing the government to announce subsidies and concessions for the poor in the next year allocations instead of the rich.

Saima Zia of the PKRC regretted that womenfolk are the worst victims of inequality whether they are at workplaces or at home. She said the women working in formal or informal sectors were paid less than their male counterparts while housewives suffer violence by their...