KARACHI, Sept 18: The Chairman and Managing Director of Pakistan International Airlines, Air Chief Marshal (retd) Rao Qamar Suleman, has resigned and Deputy Managing Director Capt Junaid Yunus has been asked to look after the affairs of the corporation till the appointment of a new chief.

Air Chief Marshal (retd) Rao Qamar Suleman has resigned on health grounds because he had been twice hospitalised in the past couple of months and had to undergo surgical procedures, including those relating to cardiac ailment. He held the top PIA post for about six months.

A defence ministry’s “most urgent” notification signed by section officer Maj (retd) Ishaq Khan said that consequent upon the resignation of Air Chief Marshal (retd) Rao Qamar Suleman the ‘competent authority’ had directed that deputy managing director (Special Projects) Capt. M. Junaid Yunus would be the acting managing director till the appointment of a new managing director / chairman.

Sources said the names of two former airline chiefs (both friends of a top political personality), a former PIA director and till recently a consultant (a relative of a former airline chief) and a businessman were being considered for the post of managing director, while the post of chairman of the board of the airline was expected to go back to the defence minister. Transparency International has accused the PIA of not following the Public Procurement Rules while acquiring aircraft.

The airline’s income in August, according to the sources, nosedived from its income in the same month last year.

Its Haj operation is to start on Wednesday, but the airline has neither acquired additional aircraft on lease nor has it been able to get its large aircraft repaired.