KARACHI Nov 5: Squash legends Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan and former cricket captain Zaheer Abbas — were among the nine officials whose names have been struck off from the payrolls of the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), sources said Monday.

PIA has decided to end the services of nine employees as per rules which allow for sending on retirement any employee with over 20 years of service or over 58 years of age.

Sources said the PIA Board of Directors had entrusted the airline chief Ahmed Saeed with powers to enforce this rule in a meeting held earlier this year.

PIA, buried under a mountain of losses, is trying to come out of the red by curtailing allowances and recreational budgets.

Jahangir when contacted by SADA, showed ignorance over this development. “I am not in knowledge of this,” he said.

The former world champion working for the airline since 1978, is currently general manager PIA’s sports division, while Jansher and Zaheer are also working on the same post.

The sources denied reports that the airline’s sports wing is teetering on the borders of closure.

“PIA has already slashed its sports budget and many sportsmen are working in administration and other departments, but shutting down PIA sports is not on the cards,” the sources added.

PIA runs the biggest sports department in Pakistan, with leading cricketers like Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood employed in it.

PIA has teams of football, hockey, squash etc. Besides, it recruits individual in various other sports.

Two former managing directors — Nawaz Tiwana and Shahid Islam — are also among the nine officials sent for retirement.

Apart from cricketers, PIA also has star hockey players in its sports division, including Shahbaz Ahmad, Atif Bashir, Mohammad Usman, Shahid Ali Khan and Ahmad Alam etc.

Shahbaz, Atif and Usman are still the part of the national team, while the remaining two former Pakistan goalkeepers have retired.

Economic slump in Pakistan is the main reason attributed behind closure of several sports department in Pakistan.

United Bank, Pakistan Automobile Corporation, Sindh Government Press and various other government departments have closed their sports wings in the last five years while others have reduced sporting activities.—SADA