Through Additional Attorney General the Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that the Federation would rescind notification of the acting Chairman Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Aslam Khaliq with some alternate arrangements to run the affairs of national flag carrier.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry categorically expressed that appointment for the top PIA slot was a sheer violation of the court orders by the incumbent government which appointed Aslam Khaliq as acting chairman of the PIA. Resuming the hearing of a suo motu case on irregularities in PIA, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed said that there was no provision in law to appoint acting chairman of the national airlines. The bench asked Additional Attorney General for Pakistan Shah Khawar to provide details - through a report - of all the steps that had been taken to improve the performance of the beleaguered flag carrier.
The Chief Justice observed that law did not permit appointment of the acting chairman of PIA. During the course of hearing, Khawar told the bench that two members of the Board of Directors of the PIA were from among the shareholders whereas the remaining eight were appointed by the competent authority.
He further mentioned the names of eight members of the Board of Directors who include; Aslam Khaliq, Naseer Jaffer, Mian Muhammad Mansha, Arif Habib, Sarfraz A Rehman, Imran Khan, Muhammad Ali Gardezi and Waqar Masood Khan (ex-officio). The incumbent chairman of the PIA Aslam Khaliq was one of the Directors who had been given charge of acting chairman of the flag carrier. Addressing the Khawar, the Chief Justice said, "We will be satisfied when you will tell us that a full-time chairman of the PIA has been appointed".
Meanwhile, while disposing of the matter of Captain Riffat Haywe, one of the parties to the instant matter who had expressed reservations on working atmosphere for women employees in the PIA, the bench directed the authorities concerned to implement the Lahore High Court (LHC) verdict in letter and in spirit.
Haywe had earlier filed a petition in the LHC against PIA management, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Captain Tariq Khoso and Captain Kaleem Chughtai accusing them of professional victimisation and harassment. In response to the plea, the LHC had directed a flight inspector to refrain from committing any illegal harassment, directing the PIA management to take appropriate steps on the report of the National Assembly''s Standing Committee on Women Development in the instant matter. Further hearing of case was adjourned for 10 days.