SC directs govt to appoint permanent PSM chairman

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the government to appoint a permanent chairman of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) who must have the potential to make the state-owned entity a profitable organisation.The court also directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to expedite efforts for the extradition of main accused persons, including Riaz Laljee, in the PSM corruption scandal, and submit a compliance report to it.A three-judge bench, comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, was hearing a suo motu case of Rs 22 billion misappropriation in the PSM.At the outset of the proceedings, the FIA presented before the court a probe report submitting that the accused had fled the country and the agency had been facing problems in getting information about them. The court observed that the FIA had not made any progress in investigation into the case.Justice Javed Iqbal ordered the FIA to inform the court should there be any hurdle in the investigation process. He observed that until a permanent chairman of the PSM was appointed, the PSM’s affairs would never improve. The court, while observing that the progress in the case was negligible, adjourned further hearing for two weeks. – Dailytimes