Monday, June 13 2005 08:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistani security forces seized control of the national telecom firms and netted scores of trade union leaders yesterday (Jun 12, 2005) after they called a strike against the company's privatisation next week, officials and union leaders said.

The deployment of troops and police officers follows the Government's announcement on Saturday (Jun 11, 2005) that bids would be invited to invest in 26 percent of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) on June 18.

The Government had earlier postponed the privatisation of the country's largest telecom companies to end a 10-day standoff with 55,000 PTCL workers.

Military officials said security forces had taken control of key PTCL installations in major cities while police and paramilitary rangers were posted to check on the law and order situation.

"We have sent our experts from the Corps of Signals on the request of the PTCL authorities to take control of all important installations," said military spokesman Colonel Idrees Malik.

Witnesses said troops arriving in machine-gun fitted vehicles took control of telephone exchanges and vital installations in major cities of the populous Punjab province.

"We have asked the staff to perform their duties as usual," an Army officer in the central city of Multan said.

"However we would not let them switch off or discontinue the telecom system in any case."

Union leaders have threatened to paralyse the service if the decision is not withdrawn by Wednesday (Jun 15, 2005). However the Government has refused to back down. A PTCL employees action committee said about 150 had been detained in the police crackdown against union leaders and workers across the country.