PIA, anti-corruption watchdog sign MoU

PIA MD says move will ensure an economic impact on the national carrier.

KARACHI:

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Managing Director Muhammad Junaid Yunus inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Adil Gilani from Transparency International on Friday. On the occasion, the PIA MD expressed a resolve to turn the national carrier around in less than a year’s time.

Yunus stated that through the signing of this MoU, PIA would be ensuring an economic impact on the entity without further burdening the government. He said that the present management, with support from the Ministry of Defence, had decided that PIA should join the war against corruption – which would greatly help the airline in cleansing its own rank and taking its balance sheet out of the red zone and into profitable territory.

He added that the economic growth and prosperity of the country depended on accountability; hence, PIA has decided to associate itself with Transparency International – the globally-acknowledged civil society organisation that acts as a watchdog on corruption activities.

“We have signed a MoU, under which we will be associating with Transparency International to make ourselves transparent and accountable to the people of Pakistan, and to the international comity of honest nations,” said Yunus.

He further stated that the ultimate goal of PIA in signing the MoU is to satisfy public interest. “We will be introducing healthy public procurement procedures in PIA, increase our fleet and improve our engineering and spare parts inventory in the best interest and needs of the people of Pakistan and our customers,” he said.

“We will be introducing fair business practices and will save public funds by doing so,” Yunus remarked; adding that transparent public procurement is a tool of good governance, which will contribute to the legitimacy and credibility of the national carrier. It will also raise the confidence of local and international customers in PIA, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2012.