Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The appointment of Shahnawaz Rehman as Managing Director (MD) Pakistan International Airline (PIA) may leads to privatization as he has connections with Mansha Group that is interested to purchase PIA. This was said by MNA Shagufta Jumani of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) in a meeting of Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges held at Parliament House Islamabad on Thursday. She said that Mian Mansha Group is interested to purchase PIA that is why government has appointed their favorite person as Managing Director. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed in response said that government has taken rigid measures in the process of appointment of heads of key institutions and so far all the appointments were made on merit as Nawaz Sharif will not do any act that go against the country.
Committee showed concerns over the rude behavior of PIA staff with parliamentarians. MNA Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, mover of question of privilege regarding offloading from PIA plane wants to ban Arjuman not only to fly within Pakistan but internationally who was responsible according to him for offloading Dr. Ramesh and Rehman Malik from PIA flight 370 four months ago. Kumar said all responsibility of the incidence is on plane crew, Pilot, Terminal Officer and Managing Director of PIA and he will lodge FIR against them all.
S. A. Iqbal Qadri while signaling the poor services by PIA for passengers said that wrong details of gate number printed on boarding passes for departure, lunchbox given to the passengers during travel and unobtainable comments book are some of the grievous issues need urgent attention of PIA administration. Secretary Aviation, Muhammad Ali Gardezi while briefing the committee said that PIA have 26 Plane where business planes are flying eighty hours on short and socio economic routes. He said we have obtained 20 planes on dry lease and six on wet lease, two 737 and all 747 are grounded and will be sold as scrap. PIA received 1.6million from which they paid to the engineering department and now government has released 52 million dollars by which new plane including 320s and ATR-72 will be obtained on dry lease from six years. He said our focus is to use those planes that are fuel efficient and safer than others. “PIA revenue is from 9 to 9.5 million and sometimes it reached to 10 million and by adding new plane on wet lease our revenue will increase”, he added. Committee has discussed in detail the question of privileges raised by Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani for offloading him from PIA flight no 370 on September 15 and Syed Imran Ahmed Shah on misbehavior of plane crew and staff of PIA at airport and directed the Secretary Aviation to present the inquiry report, SOPs and copy of rules and regulation of Aviation to committee in next meeting.