Pakistan International Airlines terminates services of 52 employees, says report

Islamabad: Cash-strapped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has terminated the services of 52 employees on various charges, including fake degrees, breach of rules, according to a media report. Last month, the national flag carrier grounded more than 140 pilots after it was revealed in the National Assembly that some of them held dubious and fake' licences.

Discipline is the most important aspect of any organisation as it binds the employees and motivates them to follow the organisation's rules and regulations. It is, therefore, important to appreciate hardworking and dedicated employees and punish defaulters found guilty after transparent and unbiased inquiries as per law, Dawn newspaper quoted the PIA's HR department's letter to all of its employees.

The PIA on Friday terminated the services of 52 employees on various charges, including fake or tampered degrees, breach of rules and unauthorised disclosure of official information to the media, the report said. The organisation, however, awarded appreciation letters to 11 employees for showing dedication and commitment to their duty, it added.

According to the letter, the services of as many as 25 employees were terminated on charges of fake/bogus/tampered degrees and documents, 21 employees were dismissed on charges of prolonged unauthorised absence, while service of one employee was terminated for showing disobedience and breach of rules and SOPs.

The letter further said that unauthorised disclosure of official information to social and mainstream media led to dismissal of two employees, the report said. Two other employees faced demotion over breach of rules, while one employee faced deduction of increments for being absent from duty.

A PIA spokesman said the management was ensuring strict discipline in the organisation and at the same time it was recognising and appreciating dedication to the service and professionalism among its employees.

The decision to ground the pilots was taken after Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan disclosed in the National Assembly that a large number of commercial pilots possessed dubious licences'. This was disclosed after the preliminary probe report of the Karachi plane crash blamed the pilots and the air traffic control for the tragedy that killed 97 people.

The domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed in a residential area near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22.