PIA seeks SC’s nod to fill in vacant posts

Also defends sacking of CFO, asks to remove ex-CEO’s name from no-fly list

ISLAMABAD: While the Auditor General for Pakistan (AGP) pointed out billions of rupees loss in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag carrier has approached the Supreme Court, seeking its permission to fill vacant posts and extend existing contracts.

On March 31, the apex court had completely banned new recruitment in PIA. Now PIA through its counsel Naeem Bukhari has submitted an application in the top court to bring its attention towards the fact the airline’s operations are suffering due to lack of critical skill-set and trained staff. “There are critical vacancies across the organisation where the needed skill-set is not available,” read the application.

PIA has assured the apex court that all recruitments would be carried out on merit while conforming to the approved Human Resource budget and the salaries paid would correspond to the existing market rates as the management has every intention to maximize the institution’s efficiency and profitability.

The management also seeks a direction of renewal of contracts of the existing contractual employees as they are approaching the competent authority of law for renewal of their contracts.

Likewise, PIA submitting its reply has justified removal of Nayyar Hayat as Chief Financial Officer by the Board of Directors. The national carrier says an audit report commissioned by the SC identified irregular and illegal expenditures amounting to Rs816 billion under Hayat as CFO, adding this was a clear indictment of his professionalism.

Hayat was reassigned as Chief Special Projects on August 16 and assured he would continue to provide information & record pertaining to the area of finance department only to the government auditor in compliance with the Supreme Court orders but he failed to comply with instructions of the then president & CEO.

The CFO was also informed that General Manager HR and Governance Muhammad Javed Jameel will continue to be the focal person to the consolidate data from all chiefs/ departments. However, Hayat did not provide the relevant record to him even as the top court had directed him to provide all the records but he did not share the complete record with the audit team.



The reply further states that process for the closure of routes and its studies were started at the time when Nayyar was holding the charge of acting CEO as he was strong advocate for route closure. The national carrier states there is no need for approval of finance department about Air Safari. Likewise, about the Markhor project, the reply says that finance department had raised illogical objections.

Moreover, PIA has requested the apex court for contempt proceedings against Nayyar for disobeying the court’s orders and submitting false, frivolous and misleading application with affidavit. It is also pleaded that name of ex-CEO PIA Musharraf Rasool be removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) and grant him permission to travel abroad.