SHC refuses to hear petition filed by Pakistan Steel Mills employees.

Karachi -- The Sindh High Court on Tuesday refused to hear a petition filed by the Pakistan Steel Mills employees relating to their sacking after the government decided to privatise the state entity.

During the hearing, Justice Umar Sial backed the attorney general's statement that the SHC could not hear the case as it is sub judice in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

To this, the PSM employees' lawyer said the case in the apex court is related to the promotion of employees, not the privatisation issue.

The SHC justice cautioned the lawyer and his clients that it was not their union but a court session and if they do not maintain the decorum, they will be sent to jail.

'What you people have done to the steel mills, everyone knows about it,' said Justice Sial in his remarks. After hearing this, he expelled the PSM employees from the courtroom.

Earlier this month, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that the government had decided to privatise it as it had become a burden on the national exchequer.

He said that PSM employees had not been working for the last many years and now they would get a financial package of around...