ISLAMABAD: As the privatisation of the sinking titanic – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) – is in doldrums, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muhammad Amir Hayat skipped a meeting of a parliamentary panel on Tuesday without any intimation.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges meeting which was held here with Abdul Qadir Patel in the chair, expressed annoyance over the absence of the CEO, a pensioned official of Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The parliamentary panel was set to grill the top PIA executive about cancellation of Patel’s return ticket from Iraq to Karachi on August 08, 2024.

A visibly-enraged Patel termed the cancellation of his ticket an “assault on his dignity,” saying “how dare the PIA treat the lawmakers in such a humiliating manner.”

The PIA’s chief commercial officer said that PIA has agreements with Turkish and Ethiopian Airlines for “code sharing” and assured that the matter regarding revalidation of Electronic Miscellaneous Documents (EMDs) will be resolved by end November.

The committee directed PIA to gear up efforts for resolving EMDs issue. The committee also summoned the top officials of Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd (SSGCL) as the panel had received numerous complaints against their officials for their highly unprofessional attitude towards masses.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024