KARACHI, July 2024: Waqar Mehdi, General Secretary of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh chapter and Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Sindh, has condemned the Karachi Port Trust’s (KPT) decision to dissolve the Karachi Dock Labour Board (KDLB) at the behest of the federal government. He described this move as a sinister conspiracy against workers, a cruel action, and an anti-worker measure. He warned that preparations are being made to transform KPT into another K-Electric and urged the concerned authorities to reconsider their stance and abandon their anti-labor mindset entirely.
In his statement, Waqar Mehdi highlighted that the KDLB was established in 1974 under an Act, serving as a testament to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s pro-people government. He asserted that the PPP would strongly oppose any attack on this labor-friendly institution, which was created by Quaid-e-Awam, and vowed to protect it. “On behalf of the PPP Sindh chapter, I assure all possible support to the workers’ protest and their legitimate demands concerning the KDLB,” he stated.
Mehdi emphasized that dissolving the KDLB would jeopardize the livelihood of more than 3,000 workers employed at KPT, leaving them at the mercy of anti-labor officers. He criticized the lack of consultation with all stakeholders, including workers, before making such a significant decision, calling it evidence of malicious intent. Mehdi further noted that KDLB workers have been protesting for the past week to protect their rights and employment, yet officials from KPT and the Federal Ministry of Maritime Affairs continue to ignore their concerns, falsely claiming that “all is well.”
Waqar Mehdi warned against turning KPT into another K-Electric, which has become a burden on the national exchequer and a source of unemployment for KESC workers, resulting in severe load shedding and overbilling for the people of Karachi. He urged the KPT administration and the federal ministry to adhere to the directives issued by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Maritime Affairs instead of ignoring the issue.
Mehdi demanded that the KPT administration and the Federal Ministry of Maritime Affairs abandon their harmful plans and end the unrest among workers across the country.
