PIA can be restructured only after employees involved in administrative and financial irregularities are sacked
LAHORE: The is with reference to the news reports about the three-day strike by PIA employees and their threats to disrupt flight operations. The balance sheet of an organisation reflects the competence or incompetence of its chief executive officer, managing director and other executives. It is easy to guess the level of competence of the top management of the national carrier from PIA’s profit and loss figures. In May 2008, its total accumulated losses stood at Rs42 billion and by 2013, they had risen to Rs190 billion.
Ever since Air Marshal Nur Khan resigned in protest against political interference by Ziaul Haq in matters of the airline, almost every management has been involved in irregularities in recruitment and destroying its human resources. Today, if Gulf carriers operate 400 flights per week into Pakistan, compared with 55 weekly flights to the UAE by Pakistani airlines, it is because the PIA management and the government over the years agreed to compromise on the bilateral agreements governing the granting of traffic rights on a reciprocal basis. Abuse of principles like conflict of interest by successive managements has resulted in massive kickbacks in procurement, fleet induction and appointments of general sales agents (GSA) and ground handling agents. Recruitment of fake degree holders could not have taken place without the connivance of the administration.
It is only a few rotten eggs with political connections that have brought PIA to its present state of technical insolvency, where total liabilities exceed assets by over Rs170 billion while outstanding debts to banks are over Rs300 billion. There is no way PIA can be restructured and resurrected unless those employees who are involved in administrative and financial irregularities are sacked. What stops the PIA management from sacking an employee who has submitted a fake degree when administrative rules clearly state that such a crime would result in termination of service? PIA rules prohibit an employee or his immediate family members to be involved in any business directly or indirectly related to aviation, yet for every contract for the procurement or supply of technical stores, the GSAs route these transactions through companies where they often have personal connections often resulting in massive pilferage.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, February 1st, 2016.
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