Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the provincial government would never give its land for the proposed recovery of Pakistan Steel Mill.

“The land belongs to the people of Sindh and we would never barter away on their rights,” he said while giving instructions to Sindh Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon and asked him to write a letter to the federal government that the land of Pakistan Steel Mills belongs to the provincial government.

“We would never allow its [land] doling out to settle the liabilities of mills which are said to be around Rs65 billion,” he said.

The chief minister said that the federal government has failed to run Pakistan Steel Mills which is a national asset.

“The steel mill has a vast potential to turn it a profit-making orgnisation but it needs political will and clear business plan which seems to be lacked with the people at the helm of affairs,” he said.

“Everything is going on there on ad hoc basis and the policies and plans of the mill are being worked out by those who have no official authority.” 

The chief minister said that the provincial government had given land to the federal government for establishing a steel mill complex in 1970s.

“We would never allow any bank or corporation to take an inch of the land of the mill,” he said and added the extra land of the mill would also be resumed.

The chief minister said that the provincial government has its own plans to utilise the land available there.

“We are going to establish new industrial units, power plants and such other establishments,” he said and directed the chief secretary to start a clear and concrete correspondence with the federal government.