PML to unveil labour policy reflecting future vision for peasants’ welfare; says Shujaat

PML to unveil labour policy reflecting future vision for peasants’ welfare; says Shujaat
NRO verdict restored pride of the nation; says Mushahid
 
ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Wednesday said his party would soon unveil its labour policy which would include the party’s future vision for preservation and protection of the rights of the labourers, peasants and people from downtrodden segments of society.
Addressing a reception held in honor of the party’s new president and secretary general of labour wing, Shujaat termed the Supreme Court verdict on controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) a triumph of his party’s stance.
The main feature of the function remained huge participation of labourers who had came from across country to welcome their new leadership. For the surprise of the media, party’s women wing emerged as an active force as dozens of women led by party’s women’s wing president Farrukh Khan attended the ceremony. 
“This was none other than PML which had rejected the NRO in its initial stage. We had also asked the former President General (R) Musharraf to exclude the party’s tenure in government – from year 2002 to 2007,” he said and added that his party had also objected to the NRO and did not allow its approval from the parliament.
Referring to the rights of labourers and peasants, Shujaat said that his late father – Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi Shaheed had served as minister for labour and manpower and he had taken some revolutionary steps for the welfare and well being of the labourers.
“My father wanted to make Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) an institution to preserve and protect the rights of the labourers. He wanted this organization to function on the lines of Fouji Foundation which caters the welfare of the retired armymen. However, the later regimes changed this vision,” he added.
He said his party would also announce party’s Kisan Wing which would take the vision of his father ahead and steps would be taken to cater the welfare of the poor peasants, farmers and poor segments.
Secretary General PML Mushahid Hussain Sayed said the apex court verdict over NRO had restored the pride of the entire nation.
“Now we can proudly say that our country is among the most civilized and modern nations where the rule of law has been restored. Now the law is not only for the poor and abused segments of society and rather the rich and elites would also have to follow the rule of law which is inline with the vision of Father of the Nation – Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Mohammed Iqbal,” he remarked.
He demanded of the government to fully implement the Supreme Court verdict on NRO. He reiterated his party’s demand that the apex court should take suo-moto notice of the Rental Power Projects scam.   
He said his party had launched the new leadership of the party’s labour wing which was not only visionary but also it had a history of serving the poor peasants.
Introducing the new labour leaders, Mushahid said Arif Hassan was a labour leader from Karachi who had been elected the party’s provincial president of labour wing since past seven years while Imtiaz Raja was the new secretary general of labour wing who had been elected chairman of Habib Bank employees union since past 12 years.
Senior Vice President of PML Ghulam Sarwar Khan said successive regimes had been exploiting the labour segments and only lip service was the only product the former regimes came up with in the name of labour rights.
“Despite the fact that labourers are the backbone of the country’s industry, yet they have been deprived of their rights since past sixty years. However, the PML government served them well for the first time. As minister for labour & manpower, I introduced the free education facilities for the children of the poor and today whether they are studying at LUMS, NUST or any leading educational institutions, the children of labourers are being provided free of cost education facilities and the ministry of labour and manpower is paying all the expenses,” he added.
He said his party was also working on its labour policy which would soon be fianlised and would be made a part of the party’s manifesto. He also asked the party leadership to form the party’s Kisan Wing as the people from rural areas had every right to have their representation at the top level.
Cursing the ruling government for their misdeeds and corrupt practices, Sarwar Khan said the lack of rains was a message that Allah Almighty was unhappy with Pakistan. He said due to lack of rainwater, the Barani areas of the country were suffering as their total agriculture was depending on rainwater. He also presented a resolution asking the government to declare the Barani areas as Calamity Hit areas which was unanimously passed.
The president and secretary general of labour wings promised to work diligently for the welfare of the labourers and peasants.
Secretary Finance PML Imtyaz Ranjha, President PML Women’s Wing Farrukh Khan, Deputy Secretary Information Ghulam Mustafa Malik, General Secretary NWFP Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and others were also present on the occasion.