Ranipur The WAPDA Hydro-Electric Union Ranipur Subdivision organized a rally and peaceful protest against the privatization of WAPDA. A large number of WAPDA employees participated in the demonstration, which included various slogans highlighting their opposition.

The protest was led by Maqsood Ahmed Mallah, Talib Hussain Lund, Mustafa Lark, Irshad Solangi, Nizam Kukar, Aziz Hangoro, Abdul Khaliq Sheikh, and Asadullah Ajan. The leaders, along with the employees, marched through several city streets before concluding the rally with a protest gathering.

Speaking to the media, the leaders stated that the federal government has been pursuing WAPDA’s privatization agenda for several years, but the employees and the public will not accept it at any cost. They emphasized that WAPDA is a public asset, and handing it over to the private sector would constitute injustice and exploitation of the public.

The leaders highlighted that WAPDA employees are being forced into retirement, subjected to economic pressure, and left with an insecure future. They also noted that new recruitments in WAPDA have been halted for the past eight years, which they described as blatant injustice that must end immediately.

Furthermore, the leaders condemned the federal government’s steps toward privatization under the IMF agenda, asserting that WAPDA employees would never accept such a conspiracy. They demanded that contract and daily-wage employees be given permanent positions, children of deceased employees be provided jobs, and all legitimate rights of WAPDA employees be granted without delay.

The leaders warned that if the decision on WAPDA’s privatization is not reversed and employees’ rightful demands are not met, they would escalate the protest, including potentially halting electricity supply across Pakistan to safeguard the rights of the employees.