Karachi: The opposition leader in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday lashed out at the government over its privatisation plan, saying that it would create political instability in the country.

Raza Rabbani, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator and the senior legislator addressing a press conference at the media cell of the party said that his party had always been against the privatisation of state organisations and it would continue that policy.

The government, he said, had decided to privatise Pakistan’s national flag carrier and sought an application to appoint financial advisers for the sale of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

The senator also warned the government to refrain from firing 4,000 PIA workers and said the PPP would strictly oppose the move. He further warned the PIA administration to not ruin the congenial working environment at PIA.

Stating the PIA’s poor administrative condition, he said on one side officers were being appointed with good salaries whereas cabin crew had not been paid their allowances for many months. In line with protecting the privileged classes the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) government was obliging the PIA’s cockpit crew by paying all the allowances to them.

The opposition leader in the Senate claimed that the government was plotting to oblige their friends through privatisation plans and the culture of ‘crony capitalism’ was being promoted.

The PPP legislator added that the recent closure of Pakistan Steel Mills was a conspiracy and the exchequer had suffered Rs3 billion (Dh0.10 billion) losses because of the closure. He called on the apex court to take suo moto action to probe into the incident.

The senator criticised his party leader Qaim Ali Shah, who is the chief minister of Sindh, saying the letter he wrote to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was against the constitution. He said that the quota system in the county had come to an end in 2013.

Shah had recently written a letter to the prime minister asking him to give the due quota to Sindh bureaucrats in the federal government.

Rabbani said that under the 18th amendment of the constitution the quota system was over but the federal government was refraining to table a bill to this effect.