The chief executive officer of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Thursday ordered an inquiry into a complaint by a female employee regarding sexual harassment and blackmailing by a male colleague.
“CEO PIA has taken an immediate notice of the complaint and forwarded the matter to the Women Protection Committee, with directives to conduct an inquiry and furnish a report,” a tweet on the national carrier’s Twitter account read.
“PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar told the media that departmental action will be taken based on the findings of the committee. He said the working environment of PIA is very conducive and especially the female community enjoys great respect and feels very safe in performance of their duties. Though the complaints regarding harassment are almost negligible but every complaint whenever received is taken seriously,” it added.
According to reports, the female employee forwarded her complaint to PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik and said that she was harassed at the airline’s Islamabad office and had a record of messages sent on her phone.
The woman said she had complained to the authorities on multiple occasions but to no avail and demanded that action be taken.