My father was denied justice and died on October 27, 2013, waiting for his dues to be paid.
LAHORE: My father, Mohammad Shafiq, (P-323382) PIA flight engineer was sent on a Mandatory Retirement Scheme (MRS), in July 2008, by PPP-nominated MD Aijaz Haroon, not because the airline did not need him, but to favour a close relative of Mr Fazalullah Pechuho, a bureaucrat closely related to the former president. My father was denied justice and died on October 27, 2013, waiting for his dues to be paid, which PIA promised to him and others in an offer made by PIAC in the LHC, during the course of the Constitutional Writ Petition (WP10185/2008), which he was a party to. His heart ailment deteriorated due to the stress and frustration. Through this newspaper, I request the Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan to intervene in this matter.
Although such arbitrary measures were unheard of during the tenure of PPP, yet, over 23 regular permanent employees within the age bracket of 57 to 60 years were sent home with assurance that “all such flight engineers shall be entitled to payment of salary and other benefits for intervening period till reaching 60 years of age and after 60 years normal retirement benefits shall be admissible”. During the hearing of the writ petition, former Justice Hafez Naseem, based on remarks by the lawyers representing PIA, advised appellants, that even if they won the case on merit, it seemed as if there was a personal vendetta involved and the corporation would drag them for years, filing appeals and seeking adjournments.
The vindictiveness and discrimination of the PIA management can be gauged from the fact that after the SC’s judgment, in SM Ismail Naqvi and 237 others versus PIA, all employees sent on MRS have been paid all their dues except for these unfortunate few. Two more flight engineers sent on MRS a few months after this group, were paid all dues that they would have earned had they been in service till 60 years of age. Almost five years have elapsed since the date of forced early retirement of my father and only partial compensation has been given, instead of the promised dues. Meanwhile, PIA has also been hiring flight engineers beyond the age of 60, on contract, while refusing to give owed dues to these unfortunate few, sent on forced early retirement by the PPP government, and not even considering them for a contract.
Jawad Shafiq
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2013.
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