Pakistan Steel Mills CEO's arrest warrant issued over employees' termination

KARACHI: The National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) in Karachi has issued arrest warrants for Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Asad Islam and Director Muhammad Akram in connection with the termination of employees, ARY News reported.

As per details, the warrants were issued following a petition filed by a PSM employees’ union leader. The NIRC has directed the Bin Qasim police to arrest the two officials and present them before the court.

The warrants are bailable and stem from a prior court decision that mandated PSM to reinstate terminated employees and ensure payment of their dues.

The court had ruled that the employees should remain employed until their outstanding payments are cleared.

In February 2025, Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) sacked 1,350 more employees to ease the financial burden on the entity.

The PSM spokesman said that they had prepared a list of the employees who were sacked and included from separate cadres including drivers, fireman, operators and others.

Also read: Pakistan Steel Mills terminates 1,350 employees

The termination letters were dispatched to the houses of the workers by Pakistan Steel Mills.

Earlier this month, Pakistan and Russia signed a protocol to revive Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).

As per details, a high-level Pakistani delegation led by Adviser to Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, visited Russia, where Pakistan and Russia signed a protocol to revive and modernize the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in Karachi.

The protocol was signed by Pakistan’s Federal Secretary for Industries and Production, Syed Saif Anjum, and Russia’s Vadim Velichko.

On July 3, 2024, the federal government decided to shut down Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), a state-owned enterprise that had been incurring heavy losses for years.

In a statement, Secretary of Industry and Production said that the Sindh government has been offered to take over 700 acres of the total 19,000 acres land of the PSM and establish its own steel plant on the site.