Sacked PIA employees summoned by Senate body

Airline’s loss has hit Rs414b, CEO Malik informs committee

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan while chairing a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation termed expulsion of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees on fake degrees contrary to the law.

Mushahidullah said PIA staffers are being laid off on basis of a Supreme Court verdict however the top court had never given any such order. He also mentioned the employees were being terminated without following the set rules and regulations.

CEO PIA Air Marshall Arshad Malik told the committee the fake degrees investigation had begun in 2006 and even after a passage of 15 years verification couldn’t be completed.

“Employees were deceitful and tempered with records during the verification process,” he informed the panel adding that large groups of people were hired in bulk at the institution. At this the committee chairman asked why action not being taken against those granting licenses to pilots on fake degrees.



“We should not snatch someone’s bread and butter,” said the PML-N senator adding there are other punishments that could be given on fake degrees.

Federal Minister for Aviation Mian Muhammad Soomro said taking action against the fraudulent is necessary.

The standing committee has now summoned the laid off PIA employees for its next meeting while demanding action against officers issuing licenses and certificates to fake degree holders.

Meanwhile, CEO PIA also revealed from the union office fake tickets and boarding passes were issued.

During the raid on Karachi CBA office NICs, fake boarding cards and tickets were recovered after which the matter was sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Malik further told the union has become a reason of corruption, careless attitude, over-staffing and misadministration.

“PIA has reached a total loss of Rs414 billion while by closing unprofitable routes it has opened profitable routes,” informed the airline’s top executive. He told six PIA planes are at stand-by since a year while efforts are being made to make them workable again.

Senators Faisal Javed, Samina Saeed, Shaheen Khalid Butt, Sherry Rehman, Nouman Wazir Khattak and Manzoor Kakar, and officials of PIA and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) took part in proceedings of the committee.