MQM should answer for its role in Baldia factory fire, says Bilawal

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement should answer for its role in the Baldia fire factory on Tuesday.

The PPP chairman, in a press conference held at the Bilawal House, said, "MQM should answer on their role in Baldia factory fire rather than doing politics on labour day." 

"MQM should not worry I will do a rally in every area of Karachi," he said. "Lyari is close to his heart and I love Karachi. PPP will do rallies in every district of the metropolis." 

Bilawal said of all the provincial governments in the country, only the Sindh government had announced its labour policy, adding that Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar had appreciated the provincial government's labour policies.

Bilawal said that as many as 14 labour laws were made by the Sindh lawmakers.  

"The PML-N government has nothing to offer to the labourers; if we come into power our main focus will be the labourers," he said. "We have to expand the social security rights of the labourers."

Bilawal said that the win of Peoples' Unity panel in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) was a referendum against privatisation. PPP would not let the federal government privatize any state institution, he added.

"The PML-N government is conspiring privatization of PIA and Pakistan Steel Mills, but rest assured we won't let them do it," he said. 

Taking another jibe at the ruling party, he said the recently-announced federal budget had nothing to offer to the labourers. 

"There is no new scheme announced in the budget. We condemn PML-N's apathy for labourers," Bilawal said. "If we come to power, our main priority will be trade union."

The PPP chief reiterated that the provincial government had worked to abolish bonded labour but there was much more that needed to be done.

Dismissing allegations of overstaffing state institutions, he termed the accusations as 'baseless.' 

"Overemployment is not an issue, but having said that we don't support ghost employment either.'