The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) needed a full-time chairman to improve the performance of the beleaguered flag carrier. A three-judge bench headed by chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed the hearing of a suo motu case on irregularities in PIA. The CJP remarked that the airline needed a devoted team leader who could take the organisation to new heights.
The CJP also observed that the performance of PIA could only be improved if the chairman was not serving on a part-time basis like the current chairman, "who is also secretary defence." Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked the counsel for PIA to quote any example from any part of the world where the chief of a financially weak institution had been serving on a part-time basis. The bench also termed the appointment of chairman contrary to Section 8 and 8(2) of the Business Rules Act 1956.
Raja Basheer, the counsel for PIA presented to the court a copy of the notification of the MD PIA's appointment. However, the bench expressed its reservations over the word 'ex-officio chairman', written in the notification. The counsel replied that it was a typographical error and a corrigendum would be issued to clarify that the current chairman was not an ex-officio chairman. The court gave him time to produce a corrected notification.
Later, Captain Riffat Hai, the party to the case, expressed his reservations on working atmosphere for woman employees in the PIA. Afshan Ghazanfar, the counsel for Hai, told the bench that woman employees of PIA were being sexually harassed and victimised by the male staff and in this regard she had already named Captain Tariq Khosa before the standing committee of National Assembly.
Justice Chaudhry remarked that there should be equal dignity and respect for male and female staff of not only PIA but in all the institutions. The court issued notice to Captain Khosa and directed the chairman PIA to appear before the court before it adjourned hearing till April 3.