The Supreme Court on Thursday remarked that the government should remove all the employees of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) from service.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed said this while hearing a petition relating to the release of provident funds to the PSM employees.

The chief justice, who was heading a two-member bench, observed that the Steel Mills employees were in habit of enjoying salaries as well as perks and privileges without work.

Giving 15 days to the federal government for a reply, he remarked that the government should induct new employees if it wanted to make the Steel Mills, which is out of production since 2015, operational.

On a previous hearing, the apex court had barred the federal government from purchasing the land owned by the Steel Mills.

While saying that it’s the people’s land, the court had also rejected an application seeking the freezing of the accounts of the Ministry of Industries and Production.

Chief Justice Gulzar remarked that the government had destroyed the organisation, as the state counsel argued that there were no funds to pay the provident funds and that’s why the government wanted to purchase of the land.