KARACHI: Senior PPP leader Raza Rabbani has dispelled a perception that his party had struck a deal with Gen Pervez Musharraf to allow him to step down as president and go abroad.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he said that PPP leaders, including Z.A. Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and the present PPP leadership, had never compromised with a military dictator.

He said a committee comprising Farhat­ullah Babar and Sherry Rehman of the PPP and Ahsan Iqbal and Ishaq Dar of the PML-N had prepared a charged-sheet to start impeachment proceedings against Mr Musharraf under Article 47 of the Constitution and when the decision was communicated to him he decided to resign.

He said provincial assemblies had also passed resolutions for the impeachment of Mr Musharraf.

The PPP leader was of the view that there should be no sacred cow and the former military dictator should face the trial and the law must take its course.

He said national assets could not be privatised without the approval of the Council of Common Interests because after the passage of the 18th Amendment consent of provincial governments had become mandatory for taking such decisions.

He accused the federal government of indulging in the “loot sale” of national institutions like PIA, PPL, SSGC, SNGPL, OGDC and PSO in the name of privatisation to meet the conditions of the IMF and to benefit its favourites.

He regretted that those who claimed to break the begging bowl had made the country hostage to international lending agencies.

The PPP senator called upon the chief ministers of smaller provinces to immediately take initiative for calling a meeting of the CCI to discuss the issue because privatisation of national assets was against the country’s interests.

He said provincial assemblies should also pass resolutions against the move to safeguard the interests of smaller provinces.

Mr Rabbani said the privatisation would render workers of national institutions jobless and leave them at the mercy of new owners.

He said the government was planning to privatise the PIA but at the same time it was purchasing aeroplanes, apparently to benefit the future buyers of the national flag carrier.

The additional secretary general of the PPP pointed out that during the past five years the PPL had earned an annual profit of Rs31 billion after paying a Rs17bn tax and said keeping in view such a huge profit there was no point in disposing of the institution.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2014