KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar Khan on Monday said that the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), the country’s only steel-producing enterprise, would be a blow to the national economy and marks a worrying sign for Pakistan’s industrial future.
He expressed these views while addressing a ceremony titled “Pasha Ahmed Gul – An Eternal Role in the Labour Movement,” organized by the Program Organising Committee, Pasha Gul, in collaboration with the Pakistan Workers Training and Education Trust (V-Trust), held in Karachi on Sunday night. The event commemorated the 23rd martyrdom anniversary of Pasha Ahmed Gul, a renowned labour leader and General Secretary of Pakistan Steel’s trade union PASLO and Officers Association.
Monem Zafar said that Pakistan Steel Mills had long been burdened by politically motivated recruitments that pushed it toward collapse, and now the government’s renewed “privatization game” would further harm the country’s economy and workers’ welfare.
He said workers and farmers had always played a vital role in strengthening the national economy through their selfless struggle but remained deprived of their due rights, continuing to live under miserable conditions.
“Industrial institutions have always needed people who could advance the cause and ideology of the Islamic movement, and Pasha Gul’s struggle and character are shining examples of such visionary and dedicated individuals,” Monem Zafar remarked. He described Pasha Gul as the life and guiding star of Pakistan’s labour movement, saying that his followers successfully carried forward his mission, promoted the Islamic movement among workers, and resisted the so-called ‘Red Revolution.’ “Pasha Ahmed Gul proved by sacrificing his life that one may lose his life for his beliefs but should never bow down. The ground we stand upon bears the marks of sacrifices made by him and his comrades,” he said, urging citizens of all ages to remain steadfast in the Islamic movement.
Monem Zafar emphasized that Jamaat-e-Islami had been struggling for 84 years to replace the existing oppressive system and reaffirmed that Allah never disappoints those firmly dedicated to their ideology.
A resolution was unanimously passed during the event, demanding that the government form a high-level commission to investigate corruption, theft, and mismanagement in Pakistan Steel Mills and prepare a practical plan for its revival. The resolution also called for an independent audit of financial losses caused by the mill’s closure, submission of the audit report to parliament, and making privatization or closure of any national institution subject to parliamentary approval.
It further demanded inclusion of employee representatives in the mill’s revival process to ensure transparency, and restoration of gas, water, electricity, and sanitation facilities in Steel Town.
The resolution urged the government to restore water supply to Gulshan-e-Hadeed Phases 1 and 2 — a service provided by Pakistan Steel for 45 years but suspended for the past four years. It also sought salary increases, restoration of benefits for serving employees, immediate clearance of dues for retired staff including gratuity, provident fund, and pensions, and allocation of residential plots to employees through the establishment of Gulshan-e-Hadeed Phase 4.
It further demanded reinstatement of terminated employees or their treatment under a golden handshake scheme.
Speakers at the event included Pasha Gul’s elder brother Ghulam Mohiuddin, his son Ammar Gul, organizing committee chairman Zahid Askari, former PASLO and TOPS president Haji Khan Lashari, TOPS president Hussain Ahmed Zaidi, National Labour Federation senior vice president Zafar Khan, and others.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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