Caretaker govt has no mandate to privatize SOEs: PTI spokesperson

Urges interim set-up to focus on holding polls within 90-day

ISLAMABAD: /DNA/ – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson strongly reacted to the caretaker government’s plan of privatizing state-run entities (SOEs) and urged the interim set-up to focus on fulfilling constitutional responsibility of holding elections within 90-day limit instead of embroiling itself in unconstitutional and unlawful actions.
PTI spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday that the privatization decision of the SOEs including PIA by the caretaker government was a clear deviation from the constitution, as it did not have the power to take long term decisions.
He advised the Caretaker Prime Minister to avoid the wasteful use of public money on world’s trip and should focus on exercising his constitutional responsibility to conduct elections on stipulated timeframe because the constitution and law did not authorize the caretaker government to take long-term decisions, especially privatization and sale of national institutions.
PTI spokesperson made it clear that no unconstitutional and unlawful decisions of the caretaker government would be accepted by the next elected government because the sale of the SOEs by the government, which would last only for 53 days, was unjustifiable and illegal.
He said that the Sovereign Guarantees used by the caretaker government for sale would also have no status, as the constitution gave the authority to make such major decisions exclusively to the government elected for five years by the votes of the people.
PTI spokesperson reminded the caretaker government that the best interest of the state lies in the complete respect of the Constitution and no recipe for development and salvation could succeed without full respect for the constitution and law.
“Article 230 of the Election Act 2017 provides a detailed outline of the responsibilities of the caretaker government, which entrusts the interim set-up with the sole duty of assisting the Election Commission in conducting free, fair and transparent elections,” he added.
PTI spokesperson remarked that the Election Act bound the caretaker government to remain neutral and limit itself only to day-to-day affairs, preventing it from making decisions on any major issue.
He suggested that since only 53 days were left of the caretaker government’s constitutional term, therefore, it should confine itself within the limits of the law instead of causing irreparable damage to the interests of the country and the nation by overstepping the constitutional limits.
PTI spokesperson said that the caretaker government should pay attention to the conduct of fair and transparent elections in the country in the light of the spirit of Article 230 of the Election Act 2017.
He made it clear that the nation would never accept any attempt to loot the national institutions mercilessly, adding that any such step would be challenged at all levels from the court to the people.