By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: PPP MNA Agha Rafiullah staged a protest against the sacking of the employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The MNA held a placard in the assembly asking Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar why he has abandoned these workers. Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri chided the MNA for breaking the assembly rules. “There are some rules and we can’t have people hold posters inside the assembly,” he said.
The Pakistan Steel Mills, which is owned by the federation, is engaged in the manufacture and sale of iron and steel. It is spread over 18,642 acres, of which 10,000 acres is for the Mills while 8,000 is for Steel Town, a residential area, hospital and school.
The Mills have been running a loss since 2008 and were eventually shut down in 2015. It has caused losses of Rs229 billion to the national treasury. On June 3, the Economic Coordination Committee approved firing all employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills. A Rs20 billion package has been prepared for the employees and each of them will be given at least Rs2.3 million as golden handshake.
