The emails accused the acting chairman and and managing director of corruption. PHOTO: FILE.
KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) Senior Ticketing Officer Tariq Mehmood Khan for allegedly engaging in cyber-crime, Express News reported on Thursday.
The acting chairman of PIA and the managing director were receiving threatening emails from an official PIA email address, which Khan had access to.
The emails accused them of corruption and of filling positions in the company based on personal relationship over merit.
FIA’s cyber-crime division investigated the case and took Mehmood into custody, they also seized his laptop.
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This guy Tahir Niaz ( Manager Revenue PIA) was part of a delegation which went to the UK to resolve differences with UK travel agents and ended up having a joyride displaying non-serious attitude and putting PIA in danger of a legal dispute. Please do read the news article to see where exactly the PIA management stands.
(http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-203490-PIA-APTA-talks-fail-dispute-to-begin-in-court-again).
In my view, the arrest of this lowly officer who got arrested by FIA for whistle blowing should trigger a full probe against the potential corrupt practices and FIA should extend its investigations. Off course this is mere wishful thinking. In Pakistan might is right.
Perhaps privatization is the only solution which may clean PIA of this mess and its incompetent and corrupt mis-managers.
There is a related news report in the Express Tribune (http://tribune.com.pk/story/629731/cyber-crime-pia-official-arrested-for-threatening-emails/)
It states that the arrested PIA employee had accused certain PIA officials ( Tahir Niaz - Manager Revenue and Col Tahir- Manager Security of corrupt practices.
FIA has arrested someone for potentially speaking up against alleged corruption in PIA. In my view the investigation should be extended to uncover the complete truth of the allegations against the accused PIA officials. We all know that there are rats under the carpet or PIA would not be in such bad shape.
While discipline is of prime importance, allegations against someone looking after ‘Revenue Management’ surely raise an eyebrow and must be probed.
Someone who has served for an organization 21 years cannot do something as drastic unless confronted with some sort of vandalism.
@Ch. Allah Daad: You mean how the system doesn't work in Pakistan and more so in PIA??
Sansar me baje dhol, yeh duniya meri tarah gol, paisa bolta hai....
If this gentleman had any proof of corruption, he should have gone to Police or Courts. He could have also passed that prrof to media. Writing threatening emails don't make any sense. Similar incident happened in army when Brig. Ali threatened top brass for their wrong doings. He was punished and sent to jail, while all of us condemned Brig. Ali. Why our view is different now? Its good to speak up against corruption but an employee should not take matters into his own hands. There are certain rules and regulations in all organizations to counter such situations. This getleman acted as a judge, jury and prosecutor. He will learn in jail, how system works.
I just flew lahore to london on pia today. They ran out of pilllows and blankets. They did not have ANY headsets for the in flight entertainment system. Food was ok though!
They are just lucky no one else flies lahore to london route. Air blue has lahore Manchester route, if they somehow manage to get lahore to london, they will do well.
PIA needs to take a long hard look at thier operations.
I would tend to believe Mr. T.M. Khan.
May be he is Pakistani whistle blower
The senior PIA ticketing officer Mr. Tariq Mahmood Khan should be released immediately and should be honourably restored on his duty.
The FIA should take a written statement from T.M. Khan and start investigating the matter against PIA acting Chairman and M.D. and look into the matter as what are the complaints and who has been appointed in PIA without following the proper and official procedures.
I don't think that PIA has announced any vacancies in the recent past.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan should take a sou moto notice on this issue so that matter of T.M. Khan should be sorted out before the CJP is retired.
It depends on what was in the emails. Was it just accusations of corruption in which case this should have been an internal disciplinary matter. However, if the emails contained physical threats to the addressees or their families, then yes, it is a criminal matter.
If the former, at least someone in PIA has shown some spine and has the good of the company at heart. He should be promoted immediately to a senior management position in PIA.
Only happens in Pakistan.....first time I have heard that accusing anyone is same as threatening, which dictionary are they using?
Plus based on whatever wonders PIA has been doing for past five years, my instinct tells me that Mehmood would probably be right after analyzing situation around him. It's better if political connections and backup are discovered and exposed too else such things will continue to happen and the national asset will eventually become history.
Do the chairman and MD in PIA understand what is good corporate governance and whistle blowing is an integral part. They should give him a chance to prove his allegation through an independent audit instead of using their influence to have him arrested which actually show they are most likely guilty.
This could only happen "Jahan Ulti Ganga Beathi hey"
This is no crime. Pointing out a systemic wrong in a company and threatening are two different things.
What if the arrested man is right??? Give him a chance to prove himself. PIA's management has not made it to Harvard Business School case studies for it to be considered blameless.
In other words, the thieves have become so powerful that one may not even identify these rascals, because if you do the whole damn system would come after you. Right?
You could send an email for any company or government agency and it will be true.
He should be praised for his loyalty to his job, not convicted of a crime.
""The emails accused them of corruption and of filling positions in the company based on personal relationship over merit.""
This kind of accusation is hardly threatning. I suppose the chairman and his cohorts were afraid of the truth and used their masters connections to have this low level guy arrested. What a farce !!!