The airlines’ workers will resist the proposed privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), warned Joint Action Committee of PIA Employees (JACPIAE) on Wednesday.
While addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), Zakir Farooq, Hidayatullah, Ubaidullah and other JACPIAE leaders said the PIA was not just a national airline and national flag-carrier but a sensitive national asset having the status of an icon in the national economy. They said in the past some vested interests tried to damage the PIA in the shape of PK-TK agreement with the Turkish Airlines but this conspiracy was foiled.
They alleged that the government on the best of International Monetary Fund (IMF) was trying to privatise the PIA for peanuts in the shape of PIA-1 and PIA-2. They regretted that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in its election manifesto had promised to revive the past glory of PIA and to make it the best airline of the world, but after coming into power the PML-N government wanted to privatise this national asset.
They alleged the present government was taking steps to damage the PIA economically and administratively. In this regard, the number of directors had been raised from 12 to 16, they added. Blue eyed boys had been recruited as directors and general managers on fat salaries without giving any advertisement for their recruitment and following other procedural formalities, they complained.
They alleged that the marking department of the PIA had been made ineffective. Useable airplanes of the PIA were grounded and sold to junk dealers for peanuts. They said the way forward committee of representatives of PIA employees which was working voluntarily was not being allowed by the management to carry out its work.
They said during the regime of Gen Zia, DC-10 of the PIA were sold and 747-200 with JT9D engines were bought, and their overhauling was given to AirFrance besides bringing Apple computers on very high rates. They said in the second tenure of Nawaz Sharif’s government, five Jumbo 747-300 were purchased with poor technology-based Rolls Ryce engines and the PIA sustained huge losses due to this working decision. They said in Pervez Musharaff’s period, the PIA bought Boening-777 airplanes despite that fact that 18 A-330 planes could be purchased on same price. They said the Boening-777 airplanes had GE-90 engines which were overhauled out of the country. They said the PIA was still paying instalments of the 777 planes.
They blamed that the open sky policy of Nawaz Sharif devastated the PIA. They said if anywhere an open sky policy would be adopted, the same would be done on reciprocal basis, but their rulers gave very profitable routes of PIA to Qatar, Gulf and Emirates without any bargaining and reciprocal arrangements.
They said the previous government tried to give the best profitable routes of PIA to Turkish Airline but the PIA workers protested and foiled this conspiracy.
They said the PIA was operating on those routes inside Pakistan which were not profitable, but the PIA was continuing them on loss to show the national unity; however, the private airlines were only operating on profitable routes inside Pakistan.
