Karachi [Pakistan], November 28 (ANI): Employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) on Friday staged a sit-in protest at the National Highway against their sacking by the Imran Khan government.

As many as 4,544 PSM employees, including teachers, drivers, firemen, operators, health and security staffers, managers and others had been sacked, informed a spokesperson from the Steel Mill on Friday, reported ARY NewsProtesters arrived in large numbers, along with the body of a worker, who passed away on Friday after hearing the news of his termination, and urged the government to take back its decision of laying them off.

The funeral prayers of the deceased PSM employee were also offered at Steel Town. The protest also resulted in massive traffic jams on both sides of the highway.

The outraged PSM employees had also staged a protest last night against the decision of termination of their services, reported ARY News.

Earlier today, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari slammed the "heartless government" for sacking more than 4,500 employees of PSM and vowed to re-instate them once his party is in power.

Bhutto said in his tweet, "The heartless government's sacked 4,500 workers of Pakistan Steel mills. PPP will return each and everyone back to work."Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar had earlier announced the government's decision to privatise PSM as it had become a burden on the national exchequer.

Geo News quoted him as saying that PSM employees had not been working for the last many years and now they would get a financial package of around Rs 2.3 million per employee as compensation. (ANI)