State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab on Friday informed the National Assembly that the government has no plan to privatize Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and that no employees will be laid off.
Responding to various points of order raised by the opposition members, he said that neither OGDCL was being privatized nor was any programme of worker retrenchment on the cards.
He said that the government was fully cognizant of workers’ rights and would take every step to protect them.
He said the OGDCL employees have not only violated section 144, which is enforced in the capital, but also injured the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and other constables.
“Employees of the ODGCL were well aware that the government has no plan to privatize the company, but they violated the section 144 imposed by the local administration”, he added.
The minister said that Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan has also ordered an inquiry into the incident, and the report will be placed before the House.
Shaikh Aftab said that the opposition was afraid of the government’s revolutionary policies under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ‘dynamic’ leadership.
“Under the Prime Minister’s vision, the country will get rid of not only power loadshedding for ever in 2018 but also there will be a chain of road networks, vibrant industries and abundant job opportunities”, he said.
He urged the opposition to come forward and play their active role for the strengthening and flourishing of democracy in the country. – APP
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