Rallies held across Sindh against moves to privatise power utilities.

HYDERABAD -- Workers of power distribution companies took out rallies in many cities and towns of Sindh, like other parts of the country, on Thursday on a call given by the All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA) to voice their strong reservations over moves to privatise the firms.

Hundreds of workers took part in the rallies which were led by their respective labour leaders. They urged the federal government to do away with the proposal, saying that it was an anti-workers plan.

In Hyderabad, CBA president Abdul Latif Nizamani led the main rally which was taken out from Labour Hall. The participants marched up to the local press club, where Mr Nizamani, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Malik Sultan, Azam Khan and others spoke to them.

Mr Nizamani claimed that government wanted to dole out power distribution companies to its favourites at the behest of World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the name of privatisation. He told the audience that the power division of the ministry had handed over these power distribution companies to Privatisation Commission, which issued directives to the Pakistan Electric Power Company in this regard. A four-member committee had also been constituted to compile a detailed report mentioning liabilities and assets of the company as well as employees' strength, he said, and claimed that government has signed an agreement with World Bank and IMF for privatisation of national institutions because government could not clear its debts and in order to pay back the loans, the government was auctioning national enterprises.

He said that the power ministry was appointing private chief executive officers instead of promoting the...