Pakistan Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar admitted in the Senate yesterday that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was in a very bad shape but said honest collective efforts, not his resignation, would restore its health.
“I am ready to resign if that alone can improve the situation in PIA. Let me go as I have not been living on my salary as federal minister,” he said, implicitly accepting the criticism that the airline was in precarious health because it was overstaffed with workers recruited without merit. But he said that since 2008 PIA had suffered a loss of Rs34 billion because of devaluation of the rupee.
During a debate on a motion moved by Col (retd) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) seeking discussion on PIA’s performance, a number of opposition senators demanded resignation of the minister if he could not run the PIA efficiently. Winding up the debate, Chuadhry Mukhtar said a restructuring plan had been sent to the finance ministry for approval and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had constituted a committee to suggest measures for improvement. He said his ministry had time and again sought financial help from the government, but had received only Rs3 billion in four years.
He disclosed that the present management had been paying a huge amount in interest on loans taken by the previous military government. The minister admitted that there had been overstaffing and said the airline’s engineering section had 7,000 employees against a requirement of 3,000. This is just the tip of the iceberg though as it is also the case that some at PIA are being paid huge sums for no good reason.