The nomination of Shamshad Qureshi as member of the Board of Directors of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) has raised questions over government efforts to pull the mills out of the current crises.
It has been learnt that the PSM Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) Chairman Shamshad Qureshi has been selected as the new board member of the mills despite the fact that he had earlier been nominated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the infamous canteen corruption case.
If he is taken in the capacity of shareholders representation, he is not an employee of the organisation and was sacked from the mills some 10 years ago, sources said. They added that he has become the CBA of the mills on the external 25 percent quota.
The inquiry report of the famous canteen corruption case between 2007 and 2008 by Tariq Khosa indicates that Shamshad Qureshi is allegedly involved in corruption, sources added. National Assembly Member Sher Mohammad Baloch had claimed that Shamshad Qureshi is a corrupt man and that he would provide evidence in this regard to the Speaker of the assembly, sources said.
When contacted, former PSM Board Chairman Fazul lah Qureshi said that it is the government’s decision and the government is aware of reasons of his appointment as the board member. However, Shamshad has been a member in the past. The former chairman stated that there is a possibilitythat he has been nominated in the capacity shareholders representation but that would be decided by the general body.
The government dissolved the current board of PSM and nominated few members for the new board including Ministry of Production Joint Secretary Javed Iqbal, Applied Economics Research Center (AERC) Director Dr Nuzhat, Managing, Siemens Electric Company Managing Director Sohail Wjahat, Daro Khan, Shamshad Qureshi and Fazul Lah Qureshi.
The Ministry of Industries, Finance Ministry and Prime Minister Secretariat are still to receive other nominees for the board membership, following which the government would announce the new board that will have to decide for its chairman in their scheduled meeting to be held on Saturday.
