Karachi: Civil society activists here Saturday resented that the federal government did not allocate any fund in the recently announced federal budget for the revival of national strategic and biggest industrial unit of the country, Pakistan Steel Mills Karachi.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) they said it is a dark conspiracy that when small iron and steel making units of private sector are running in profit why the mega unit of Pakistan Steel Mills in running in perpetual losses. They appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take a suo moto notice of this most important cases of Pakistan, not only concerning to the national economy but also to livelihood of thousands of workers and their family members.
Pagganwala Welfare Foundation chairman Mian Waqar Pagganwala said it is pity that private steel mills and airlines of the rulers are minting money but the Pakistan Steel Mills and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) are incurring losses. He said if the overstaffing is the issue the previous rulers are responsible for it and they should be made accountable by incurring systematic losses to the PSM and PIA. He said even if there are more employees but if these institutions are run in profit they could easily sustain the salaries of these staffers.
To a question that if it would be acceptable for workers and other stakeholders if the Pakistan Steel Mills is revived under the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) umbrella, he said the CPEC is a great gift to Pakistan and running Pakistan Steel Mills under the CPEC would be the great gift to the CPEC, because if run properly it could easily cater the steel needs of the huge projects under this corridor.
He said they would continue to support the just cause of the PSM workers, warning he would sit on the road before the Steel Mills if even its single worker is sacked.
Justice Helpline President Nadeem A Shaikh Advocate that in the federal budget there are funds for the lossmaking Pakistan Railways in the recent federal budget but sadly no funds for the revival of the Pakistan Steel Mills. Her said suspension of the gas supply has practically closed down production activities of the PSM and we request the CJP Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to take a suo moto notice of this crucial matter.
Atan Parkash Channai of FPCCI standing committee on minority affairs and consumer products said the rulers deliberately put the Pakistan Steel Mills on the path of decline and destruction. He said the revival of the PMS would boost a lot of smaller industries and help in bettering the economy of Pakistan. He said we are going to talk about the plights of Chicago workers on May 01, but we should also talk about the plights of PSM workers and their families.
Salem Micheal Advocate of Justice Helpline, Rehan Shah, president Unity of Pakistan Steel Employees Union, Zulfiqar Shah of KWSB labor union and others also spoke.