KARACHI: As Pakistan seeks Chinese assistance to revive the loss-making mega-corporation, Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), officials and stakeholders believe it could take three to four years to bring its non-operational plants back to life.
Prime Minister Imran Khan left for Beijing on Monday to discuss the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and regional security issues with the Chinese leadership.
He is also expected to request Chinese authorities to help revive the steel mill that has remained nonfunctional since 2015 and bleeding Pakistan financially.
“Two months ago, our committee was briefed about the status of PSM and its revival plan. We were informed that some Russian and Chinese companies along with local groups were interested in bringing it back to life,” Sajid Hussain Turi, Chairman of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Industries and Production, told Arab News on Monday. “The revival of Pakistan Steel Mills will be a welcoming step.”
The stakeholders expect the Chinese companies to bring enough expertise to revive the steel mills. “The Chinese showed a keen interest in rejuvenating the place in a meeting held a couple of months back with PSM board of directors,” Munir K. Bana, the board’s top official, told Arab News
Pakistan Steel Mills was constructed in 1973 under an agreement signed between the country’s administration and the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) in 1971. The Soviets also agreed to provide technical and financial assistance for the construction work.
The megacorporation saw a decline in production between 2008 and 2015. It was finally shut down when the company failed to pay Rs20 billion of the gas bill.
“So far the accumulated losses of the steel mills have increased to about $11 billion due to the closure of plants and imports of steel products,” said Mumrez Khan, convener of PSM Stakeholders’ Group that comprises employees, pensioners, suppliers, dealers, and contractors.
The country has been exploring various options to resolve the issue of Pakistan Steel Mills, including its privatization.
Recently a decision to put PSM on the privatization list was taken up in a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet that was chaired by prime minister’s adviser on finance, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. However, it was later decided to revive the defunct entity, instead of privatizing it.
“The daily losses are estimated to be around Rs120 million due to the closure of plants,” Khan claimed. “About Rs80 billion of PSM Stakeholders’ Group are also with the mill. Our three-month salaries remain pending as well.”
Officials expect that the revival of the defunct steel mills would take about three to four years and billions of rupees since its plants desperately need replacement of machinery and equipment.
“In my personal view, the machinery will have to be replaced completely since it is beyond repair at this stage,” Bana commented.
Spread over an area of 18,600 acres with 10,390 acres for the main plant, Pakistan Steel Mills is located 40 kilometers from Karachi in the Port Qasim vicinity. The PSM had a production capacity of 1.1 million tons of steel which was expandable to 3 million tons per annum. The main PSM products included coke, pig iron, billets, cold-rolled sheets, hot-rolled sheets, and galvanized sheets.
Pakistan to invite Chinese assistance for revival of steel mills
Pakistan to invite Chinese assistance for revival of steel mills
- PM Khan likely to discuss the plan with Chinese authorities during his current visit
- Experts believe the mill may take three to four years to become operational again
’Super Flu’: Pakistan confirms presence of fast-spreading H3N2 influenza strain
- Health authorities say virus is not new but shows higher transmission rate
- WHO reports global rise in seasonal influenza cases, especially in Europe
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani health authorities on Monday confirmed the presence of the H3N2 influenza strain, often referred to as a fast-spreading “super flu,” in the country, but stressed there was no cause for panic, saying the virus is not new and remains manageable with standard treatment and vaccination.
Officials said the strain is part of seasonal influenza viruses that circulate globally each year and has undergone genetic changes that make it spread more quickly, a pattern health experts say is common for influenza.
The confirmation comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports a global increase in seasonal influenza activity in recent months, with a growing proportion of influenza A(H3N2) cases detected, particularly across several European countries, including the United Kingdom.
“Yes, we have witnessed confirmed cases of H3N2 influenza (super Flu) in Pakistan since November this year. Out of total around 1,691 cases reported throughout Pakistan since last month, 12 percent are of the so called super flu,” Dr. Shafiq-Ur-Rahman, Senior Scientific Officer at Pakistan’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), told Arab News.
He said the virus had undergone a genetic drift, a gradual mutation that is typical of influenza viruses.
“The symptoms are similar to other influenza strains, but speed of transmission is high for H3N2,” Rahman said, adding that treatment remains the same as for other flu types and vaccination is critical to limiting spread.
Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses that circulate year-round worldwide. The WHO has stressed that influenza continues to evolve through gradual genetic changes, making ongoing surveillance and regular vaccine updates essential.
Influenza spreads easily through droplets when infected people cough or sneeze. While most individuals recover within a week without medical treatment, the illness can range from mild to severe and may result in hospitalization or death, particularly among high-risk groups such as young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions.
Doctors say early symptoms of the flu can resemble those of the common cold, but the progression often differs. Colds typically develop gradually, beginning with a runny or blocked nose, sneezing and sore throat, followed by mild coughing and fatigue.
Flu symptoms, however, tend to appear suddenly and more intensely, with patients often experiencing high fever, extreme tiredness, body aches, headaches and a dry cough.
Health experts say this abrupt and severe onset is usually the clearest indication that an illness is influenza rather than a common cold, which is generally milder and slower to develop.
