KARACHI, May 16: The Federal Service Tribunal has reinstated five compulsorily-retired PIA officers with retrospective effect.

Syed Nasir Ali, who joined the airline in 1969, and four others were relieved of their jobs under a mandatory retirement scheme introduced in November 2001 in view of “financial losses, cash flow constraints and the present circumstances affecting the operations and business of the airline industry.”

The employees’ counsel confronted the airline with its annual report for 2001, which declared that “the financial results for the year present a significant and impressive turnaround in the corporation’s fortunes”.

The tribunal noted in its order that no notice was issued to the retired employees so that they could explain their position. Nine officers were arbitrarily chosen for retirement under the scheme. It also noted the contention of the employees’ counsel, Advocates Mahmud Alam and Munawar Hussain, that highly-paid deputationists were inducted in place of the retired officers. Besides, one of them, Jehangir Khan, has already been reinstated under a tribunal order.

The tribunal, which consisted of its chairman, Justice Amanullah Abbasi (retired), and member Akbar M. Memon, however, asked the employees to refund all the retirement benefits received by them as a condition precedent to their reinstatement.