KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has sacked its chief operations officer, Zia Qadir Qureshi, it was learnt on Saturday.

According to sources, Mr Qureshi was sacked on Friday because he could not perform his duties according to work standards of the PIA. They said he had also failed to achieve objectives for which he had been hired.

Take a look: SC orders auditor general to complete PIA audit within 10 weeks

Responding to Dawn queries, PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar confirmed on Saturday that Mr Qureshi’s contract had been terminated.

The Auditor General’s office termed Mr Qureshi’s appointment an “undue favour”. It called for the immediate termination of his services and an action against those who had hired him.

The sources said Mr Qureshi, said to be a blue-eyed boy of adviser to the former prime minister on aviation Mehtab Abbasi, was hired on a contract at Rs1.5 million per month on June 5, 2017. Mr Qureshi was just three months short of reaching the age of superannuation (October 2017) at the time of his appointment.

In the termination letter, issued by PIA’s Chief Human Resources Officer Asma Bajwa who herself is a contractual employee, told Mr Qureshi that “continuation of your appointment beyond the age of superannuation in Oct 2017 was subject to bi-annual review of your performance”.

The sources said Mr Qureshi was called twice for performance review meetings but he could not attend them.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...
Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...