ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has summoned the executive director human resources of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in person in connection with a plea challenging the legality of non-engineers’ appointment in the engineering department.
Justice Aamer Farooq expressed dismay over lacklustre response of the national flag carrier during the hearing of the case on Monday.
During January this year, the Islamabad High Court stayed non-engineering staff employment for engineering slots in the national flag carrier till final adjudication of a plea challenging merit violation in filling vacant posts of engineers.
It is pertinent to mention that earlier on November 08, 2021, the court has sought a reply from the federal government in response to the plea challenging legality of non-engineering staff employment for engineering slots in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Advocate Umer Gilani has made the federation of Pakistan through the secretary Ministry of Aviation, Pakistan International Airlines Corporation through its chief executive officer and Pakistan Engineering Council through its registrar as respondents on behalf of his client Engr Mian Khuram Ahsan.
Filing a civil miscellaneous application before the court in the matter, Advocate Gilani submitted that earlier on November 8, 2021, after hearing preliminary arguments of the petitioner, the court had issued notices to the respondents and sought specific comments from PIA within a fortnight. He apprised the single-member bench of Justice Aamer Farooq that on the next hearing of the case on December 2, 2021 the court accepted request of the PIA for more time to file comment in the matter.
Gilani further submitted that the PIA failed to furnish the reply saying almost a month after the expiry of the court’s deadline, the comments have not been filed by the PIA till date.
In the main petition, the petitioner’s counsel has contended that the PIA is employing a very large number of non-engineers at the posts of ‘aircraft engineer’, adding that one out of eight chief engineers, 25 out of 53 deputy chief engineers and 334 out 476 aircraft engineers, are non-engineers performing duties with PIA at the moment.
“In stark violation of this law and going against the general principles of merit, the national flag carrier is appointing such persons whose only educational qualification is Matric and who, in many cases started out as ‘helpers’ and ‘cleaners and eventually rose through the ranks through organisational politics,’ Advocate Gilani has told the bench.
After hearing arguments of the lawyer in the matter, Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC sought reply from the PIA and held that any appointments made during proceedings will remain subject to the outcome of the case. Hearing of the matter was adjourned till May 2022.
As the PIA has already submitted a response in the case but no representative of the national flag carrier appeared in the matter on Monday to which Justice Aamer Farooq expressed displeasure observing that the PIA counsel failed to turn up in such an important issue.
Later, the court issued notices to the executive director Human Resources of the PIA to appear in person in the matter and adjourned the hearing till June.
