The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on March 7, 2013, directed Pakistan International Airline (PIA) Managing Director (MD) Capt Junaid Younus to submit a written reply over sexual harassment of a female employee at workplace, in the pending complaint lodged by Riffat Hayee, a lady pilot, against two senior instructor pilots working in PIA and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The complaint was initially filed by Hayee in 2008-09, against CAA Inspector Capt Khoso who was on deputation from PIA and Capt Kaleem Chughtai, following her failure in proficiency checks for promotion as a captain.
The complainant Hayee had alleged that the CAA Inspector made indecent advances and suggestions and her refusal to accede resulted in her failure. She lodged a verbal complaint with the then PIA MD Capt Aijaz Haroon and other responsible persons. The complaint was not properly addressed, since Khoso had blessings of Capt Obaid Jatoi-a close aide of Asif Zardari.
Thereafter Hayee made a formal complaint with a lady parliamentarian who took up the matter in the parliamentary committee for women abuses. However, PIA and CAA were unwilling to take proper disciplinary action against the designated pilot. It was only after a lot of persuasion that PIA decided to recall Capt Khoso back from CAA, but no further action was taken on the complaint.
Capt Riffat Hayee is now flying A310, and has filed a petition in the SC, because she claims the harassment still continues. She is due to retire in 2014. Investigations reveal that such incidents of sexual harassment are quite common in PIA and to date, no suitable disciplinary action, befitting the crime, has ever been taken by the management. Nor, it seems, proper psychiatric evaluation is carried out to screen out such elements at the time of induction. In one such incident a PIA A310 captain on a flight to Manchester in February this year, harassed an airhostess who was also on duty and staying at Hotel Sachas. The pilot had strangely opted to stay at the hotel where cabin crew stayed, instead of the hotel designated for pilots.
It is alleged that when the hostess refused to oblige to his advances, the pilot got furious and the next day started abusing and threatening her in the presence of other crew. The pilot, it is alleged, has a history of such complaints lodged against him since his entry and training as a cadet. Three of his cousins hold senior pilot management positions in PIA, while his in-laws have a lot of clout in MOD. He also has blessings of Capt Obaid Jatoi. The Karachi based hostess had also filed a verbal complaint with the PIA but no action was taken. She has now approached the parliamentary committee for women abuses and is considering taking up the matter in SC.