KARACHI: While the authorities came down with a strong hand over the protesting airline employees by taking disciplinary action, including terminations, a number of PIA flights had to be cancelled, rescheduled or combined, causing hardship to passengers because of staff-related problems on Monday.A joint action committee of PIA employees gave a deadline of Monday-Tuesday midnight to the authorities to sack Managing Director Aijaz Haroon and cancel a proposed commercial arrangement between the national flag-carrier and Turkish Airlines.

Pilots said that the authorities — defence ministry and the airline management — had issued late on Monday night show-cause notices to pilot’s leaders and termination letters to some pilots to counter their agitation and opposition to the government’s move.

A PIA spokesperson refused to confirm or deny any action taken against the pilots or other employees. But he confirmed that several flights had been disrupted owing to staff-related problems and efforts were being made to facilitate the passengers.

Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association chief Sohail Baluch told Dawn that he, along with the PALPA general secretary, had been issued on Monday evening show-cause notices by Farooq Arshad Faheemi of the defence ministry, which controls the PIA, under the Essential Services Act which had been imposed on the cockpit crew a few months ago.

He said that two pilots had received termination letters.