NAB to probe into reasons of Pakistan Steel Mills collapse

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) determined to launch a probe into the reasons which led to the collapse of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), the country’s largest steel manufacturing facility.

In a press release issued on Friday, the top anti-graft body said it will recommend the Ministry of Interior to place the names of all former and incumbent officers of the PSM on the Exit Control List (ECL) in a bid no responsible person could flee the country during an investigation.

The investigation has been assigned to identify the officials responsible for the deteriorating state of affairs at PSM, besides the factors leading to this situation.

In a tweet on Saturday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar said the NAB made this response to a reference sent to it by him on behalf of the National Assembly’s standing committee for industries.

In his letter, Umar had asserted the national exchequer suffered losses worth Rs1.5 billion in a month on account of the PSM. “Neither the PSM employees are getting salaries nor the retired staffers are receiving pension money,” he had written.

To which, the anti-corruption watchdog responded that it would take action in this regard. “NAB will find out reasons behind the loss inflicted to the national treasury,” the anti-graft body said in a statement.

For months, the employees of the state-owned corporation have been staging demonstrations over non-payment of their salaries and other managerial issues.

Earlier this month, the government had announced that it would issue two-month salary to the PSM employees.