Three senior PIA officials sentenced to prison for contempt of court
The National Industrial Relations
Commission (NIRC) has sentenced three senior executives of Pakistan
International Airlines (PIA) to six months in prison for contempt of court,
citing their repeated failure to comply with judicial orders.
According to an official ruling
issued Thursday, the convicted officials include Deputy CEO Khurram Mushtaq,
Chief Human Resources Officer Athar Hussain, and PIA Balochistan General
Manager Sadiq Muhammad Lodhi. Each has also been fined Rs50,000, with an
additional one-month jail term applicable if the fines are not paid.
In a detailed verdict, NIRC member
Abdul Ghani Mengal declared all three officials guilty of contempt and
permanently barred them from holding any future position in public,
semi-government, or government institutions. Their salaries and financial
benefits have also been suspended with immediate effect.
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The case stems from a petition filed
by 17 PIA employees in Balochistan seeking regularization under Section 25 of
the Balochistan Industrial Relations Act, 2010. The workers—employed as
janitors and cleaners—had served the airline for periods ranging from two to
twenty years without being granted permanent employment status.
Although their plea was initially
rejected by a labour court, the Balochistan Labour Appellate Tribunal
overturned that decision in 2012, ordering their regularization. Subsequent
appeals by PIA to the Balochistan High Court and Supreme Court were dismissed,
leaving the tribunal’s decision in place.
Despite clear directives from higher
courts, PIA failed to implement the ruling. The commission noted that more than
seven years had passed without compliance and said the airline neither followed
the orders nor responded to repeated contempt notices. Although some employees
were eventually regularized, the process failed to adhere to court instructions
and excluded backdated financial benefits.
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“This contempt action is not driven
by personal motives but is necessary to uphold the dignity of the judiciary and
maintain public confidence in the rule of law,” the ruling stated.
The court has directed police in
Balochistan and Islamabad, along with relevant jail authorities, to ensure the
immediate arrest and incarceration of the convicted officials. It also issued a
notice to the Ministry of Defence to enforce compliance.
In response, PIA officials stated
their intention to challenge the ruling through appropriate legal channels,
arguing that the verdict should be reconsidered in light of the ongoing
privatization process and related administrative constraints.
Source: Express Tribune