Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Supreme Court asked to look into Pakistan International Airlines affairs

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has been requested to take suo moto notice of the shabby affairs of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as the airline is following the steps of Pakistan Railways and is in loss of Rs144 billion with deliberate default of payment of repairs, causing grounding of 12 plans and fabricating excuse for buying 39 planes at estimated cots of $2.5 billion in violation of PPRA rules.

The Transparency International has sent a complaint to the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court saying that the court should take notice of the news published in The News of November 19, 2011, revealing the facts that deliberate losses being incurred by the PIA at the cost of public money as alleged by PIA employees, Pakistan Airline Pilots Association (PALPA), Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP), Aircraft Technologists Association of Pakistan (ATAP), Flight Engineers National Association (FENA) and many more.

Syed Adil Gilani, Adviser to the TI-Pakistan, in his complaint to the SC on behalf of the TI has written that the affairs of PIA are very strange, with contradictory statements given by the PIA in the National Assembly, which gives impression that nothing is right in PIA. Following serious facts/irregularities are brought into the knowledge of the chief justice.

“That on February 24, 2011, Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, the Minister of Defence, informed the National Assembly (NA) that the national flag carrier, PIA, was only operating in 27 countries out of more than 250. “The reason for not operating in other countries is that it is not economically viable and said that the PIA currently had a fleet of 40 aircrafts, insured by the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL), which are in an operational condition. He said, “All the 40 aircraft are in operational condition; however, they are taken out of service for short durations for routine maintenance as per the maintenance schedule.”

“That however on December 7, 2011, the PIA has tendered for leasing of 39 Aircraft, with 12 aircraft to be introduced in next 4 months. The question raised by PALPA, SAEP, ATAP and FENA is that there is no funds for purchase/lease of these planes, and also therein no need as the minister himself has declared that all 40 aircraft are operational. The allegations made by them on the PIA management is the current status of the PIA cancellation of flights, that long delays, non payment of bills for firms repairing aircraft engines, viz M/s JALCO Amman, where 4 PIA engines are repaired and ready for delivery since last 5 months, and 2 PIA engines of A 310 are repaired and ready since last five months, but due to non payment of dues, they are not delivered. Instead two aircraft were leased during Haj by more payment made than the due for the six engines, which would have made 2 A 310 and one B 747 operational. Many more allegations of corruption have been made by JACPIAE in its letter dated 15-11-2011.”

That PIA Managing Director Muhammad Aijaz Haroon on September 26, 2010, told the Public Account Committee (PAC) that the PIA is suffering accumulative losses of Rs144 billion. And the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence on December 9, 2011, was informed by MD Nadeem Yusafzai that financial losses of the PIA have swelled to approximately Rs100 billion.

That such divergent and self-contradictory financial figures submitted by the chairmen to the National Assembly Committees needs to be seriously examined by the chief justice in the light of allegations made against the management for misguiding the nations as well as Parliament by PALPA, SAEP, ATAP) and FENA.

On October 27, it was reported that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has had to reduce its flights by 23 percent because nine of its 39 aircraft have been grounded for want of spare parts which are to be supplied by a Dubai-based US firm-Transworld—under a controversial multi-billion-dollar agreement. That as reported in daily Jang of November 6, 2011, the PIA has allegedly committed corruption in 2010 Haj operation by giving bribe to Saudi officials.

It has been reported in press that the PIA is getting ten A321 aircraft and ten A320 aircraft in 2012. In 2013, the PIA would acquire as many as four ATR-72 and five 777-300ER aircraft while it would get six A321 planes in 2014.

Who is responsible for corruption, and who is benefiting from such corruption and corrupt practices cannot be determined unless this court takes a suo moto notice of the facts and circumstances so that the persons responsible be punished and money pocketed by them at the cause of National Flag Carrier be punished.”