PIA’s chief operations officer Zia Qureshi sacked

Decision comes after a bi-annual performance review of Qureshi tenure

KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) sacked Zia Qadir Qureshi as chief operations officer (COO) of the national carrier on Friday.

Qureshi was removed from his post and his contract with PIA was terminated, although a replacement is yet to be named, sources told The Express Tribune.



The termination letter of the former PIA COO, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, details that Qureshi was terminated after a bi-annual performance review of his tenure indicated that he had failed to perform his duties to the required standard.



According to the document, Qureshi did not attend the meeting called for evaluating his performance despite two pleas from the PIA management – once because of ill health, and on another occasion, on which he failed to provide a reason for his absence.



On August 17, PIA's chief financial officer (CFO) was also removed from his position.

PIA’s spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told The Express Tribune that Nayyar Hayat was removed as CFO and would now conduct a “high-profile audit” ordered by the Supreme Court on May 31.

“Hayat will monitor the special audit and ensure that it complies with the SC’s directives,” Tajwar added.