The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Pakistan Steel Mills management and the employees to settle the issues. The court ordered for the payment of arrears to the employees and appointed senior lawyer Rasheed A Rizvi as an arbitrator.
The court also sought a report on privatisation from the secretaries Privatisation Commission and Ministry of Industries and Production within two weeks. The chief justice remarked that money should be recovered from the steel mill officers. “The government is not there to distribute money.”
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard the promotion case of Pakistan Steel Mills employees. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and Federal Minister for Privatisation Muhammad Mian Soomro appeared before the bench.During the hearing, the chief justice expressed displeasure over the plight of the steel mills and asked the federal ministers to tell them what to do with the steel mills. Addressing the Secretary Privatisation Commission, the chief justice said its secretary failure that mills are non-functional despite that money is being spent on it. “The daily expenditure on the mill is being incurred without a single penny profit. Do you feel any pain of losing this money? Let a competent person come and you go home.”
The chief justice further said that PIA, Heavy Mechanical Complex, Shipyard are closed. “The wheel of any factory is not running, only the money is going, secretary industries and production knows nothing.” He said Pakistan’s ships are being manufactured in China and Turkey.
Justice Mazahar Ali Naqvi remarked if the private steel mills run in profit then what is the problem of public steel mill. “Explain how the steel mills could run in profit.” Shahid Bajwa, a lawyer for the steel mill, told the court that the steel mill needed only 40 officer According to Chinese experts, the steel mill will need 500 million to run, on which the chief justice said no one has invested in PTCL and K Electric. Government does not have enough money to run. During the hearing, Muhammad Mian Soomro told the court that the privatisation process would be completed only after the settlement. The assets of the steel mill are worth $100 million. Upon that the chief justice said that the privatisation of the steel mill has been canceled in the past as well. The privatisation minister then asked should we not privatise the steel mills. The chief justice stated; “We are not saying not to privatise but keep in mind the court’s decision, otherwise a foreign arbitration tribunal will go and fine. The court sought a report on privatisation from the privatisation commission and the secretaries of industry and production and adjourned the hearing of the case for two weeks.