| GEO Pakistan | | Marvi-powered NPIW workers’ sit-in enters day 6 | Updated at: 0945 PST, Wednesday, March 10, 2010
 KARACHI: The sit-in organised by workers of the National Programme for Implementation of Watercourses (NPIW), and backed by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Information Secretary Marvi Memon, continued for a sixth day on Wednesday outside the Karachi Press Club.
The protestors are demanding regularising their services, which had been terminated after the project was completed. The government, on its part, claimed that jobs generated were project-specific, and contract letters of the employees clearly mentioned that their jobs will cease to exist after the project concluded.
Millions were spent on the project in Sindh, which was initiated in April 2004 and completed in 2008. The project was also initiated in the other provinces, Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan, but the government maintained that the project was incomplete in Sindh, while it was completed on time in the other provinces. A senior government official said the performance of the employees was poor and substandard.
Memon, daughter of former minister, Nisar Memon, however, has been campaigning for the regularisation of NPIW workers, and has participated in the workers’ sit-in for the past six days.
Talking to media representatives on Tuesday, Memon said that she raised this issue in the National Assembly, and the prime minister even issued a directive to the authorities concerned for their regularisation.
A copy of the prime minister’s statement seeking a report from the Sindh government and directives to regularise the employees was also sent to Memon, but after a couple of months, she realised that no promises will be fulfilled.
“I was not taken seriously, given how the police used teargas on us near the CM House. They arrested many protesters, while the Sindh home minister or the CCPO did not even respond when I called them,” Memon said.
“I spoke to the prime minister, and he promised me again that he will direct the Sindh chief minister to regularise these employees. What is the purpose of the Assembly if this house cannot solve the problems of the people? I am totally disappointed with the assemblies and the system,” she said.
On the part of the Sindh government, the chief minister assigned two advisers, Waqar Mehdi and Rashid Rabbani, to negotiate with leaders of the protesting employees. It was almost decided that a summary which has already been moved by the Sindh law minister for regularisation will be signed within a day or two, and the protest will come to an end on Friday night.
Memon did not agree, however, and she refused to accept the chief minister’s offer. Interestingly, PML-N leader, Sardar Rahim, and some nationalist leaders, including Bashir Qureshi, were said to be taken on board in the negotiations, and they blamed Memon for sabotaging successful negotiations with the government. Many of these leaders claimed that Memon had “some other agenda.”
Memon, however, rejected these assertions, and her supporters claimed that she was ready to resign from the Assembly if she failed in her mission. “I want to set a new trend in politics. I left the glamorous life, and am sitting on the road with affected people just to expose rulers and their promises.
Television channels were inviting me to talk-shows, but I preferred this life. I haven’t even bathed since the past couple of days, and am almost on hunger strike. But neither Sindh government nor the federal government has taken serious notice of this issue,” she told journalists outside the KPC on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there seem to be some differences over whether to back Memon in her cause. PML-Q Sindh Secretary General Haleem Adil Shaikh has said that the party was backing Memon, as she was their information secretary, while Mushahid Hussain, the central general secretary of the party, also came to the protest camp and addressed participants on the request of Memon.
Sources within the party however claim that party chief Chaudhry Shujaat and other central and provincial leaders have some reservations over her stand. “This is a solo flight. The party has made no decision to join or launch any movement at this crucial stage. She took a decision in her personal capacity, and since she is the central information secretary, the party did not only oppose this act,” sources maintained.
However, Marvi is very confident of her success, and has phoned leaders of almost all parties and nationalist groups to join the protest camp. Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Jam Madad Ali also supported the affected employees and he requisitioned a provincial assembly session to discuss this matter. Mumtaz Bhutto, Ghinwa Bhutto, and Sindhi nationalist leaders also supported the workers’ cause. |  |
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