ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: A Senate debate on the affairs of the Pakistan International Airlines collapsed in confusion on Thursday after an opposition boycott to protest against an airline brief for the media, denying charges that remained unanswered.
What the ruling coalition and the opposition had planned to be a comprehensive debate stretching to Friday was given up after only a few speeches from both sides as the opposition refused to end its walkout against what opposition leader Raza Rabbani called a breach of the house's privilege by PIA by releasing its brief before the discussion was held.
Before leading the walkout, Mr Rabbani said the combined opposition would not come back to the house unless Deputy Chairman Jan Mohammad Jamali, then chairing the proceedings, passed strong strictures against what he saw as a pre-emptive PIA brief, which denied most of the main allegations levelled in the house over the past few days such as the claimed non-disclosure of the airline chairman's salary, its advance payment for three years, extravagant spending, and sacking of employees.
No strictures were passed although the treasury benches were divided about the propriety of the release of the PIA brief before the debate but said nothing illegal had been done, before the house was adjourned until 10am on Friday for what is expected to be last day if its current session that began on Jan 16.
Both leader of the house Wasim Sajjad and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Kamil Ali Agha told the opposition-less house that the PIA brief contained only what some airline officials had stated in a briefing given to the treasury benches, but they provoked protests from some coalition members who said they were invited there.
While some members of the treasury benches defended the PIA, apparently reflecting the briefing given to them in the morning and almost repeating what the airline press brief said, Mr Rabbani spoke at a news conference outside the house with a spate of allegations ranging from anti-worker activities to financial mismanagement, inefficiency and hiring executives at "astronomical pay packages".
Although some bitter criticism of the PIA's financial health also came from pro-government independent Senator Waqar Ahmad Khan, there seemed to be a marked change of posture at the treasury benches on Thursday since they offered on Tuesday to debate what a minister called "the entire scenario of the PIA" in exchange for an opposition adjournment motion seeking a debate on the alleged sacking of up to 300 mainly contractual employees.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, who had been in the forefront in castigating PIA's management during the question hour last week and on Tuesday, with no apparent grouse from his colleagues on the front benches, left the house before the start of the debate, apparently to avoid being embarrassed by their denial of his statements that the PIA chairman had taken three years' advance of an undisclosed salary and engaged in extravagance.After some scathing criticism of the PIA by PML-N's Prof Sajid Mir and PPP's Babar Awan, both Mr Wasim Sajjad and MQM's Ahmad Ali said it had been verified that the PIA chairman had not drawn three years' advance salary, which the airline brief put at Rs422,140 per month plus admissible government of Pakistan allowances in a corporation.
The chair seemed prepared to prolong the debate until Friday as earlier been agreed by the two sides, but it accepted the ruling coalition's demand to treat Mr Sajjad's brief remarks as a winding up speech and conclude the discussion.
The PIA brief said salary packages of top executives were contractual and in some cases could be slightly higher than the chairman's because they were not entitled to other regular government allowances and their tenure was limited.
The brief acknowledged that 29,500 euros were spent on designing the tail of an A310 plane with stickers as part of a "corporate identity transformation" of the national flag carrier's aircraft to reflect the cultural traditions of the four provinces but said tails of all other planes were being painted in-house at a cost of Rs300,000 to Rs500,000 each.
It said only 184 contractual employees were relieved this year by not renewing their contracts "in view of inadequate performance and (on) no-need basis".
It denied an opposition allegation, which was earlier endorsed by Mr Niazi, that a ramp had been built at the PIA's head office in Karachi to carry the chairman's car to an upper floor and said only a small elevator for handicapped employees and visitors had been planned.
About the opposition criticism of employing foreign cabin crew like air hostesses at high salaries, the brief said 83 foreign crew from eight countries -- Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Germany, Greece, Kenya, Russia and Britain -- had been inducted so the passengers would be welcomed on board by their "ethnic hosts" and for their communication convenience, particularly in emergencies.
The airline said it had increased its revenues in the years 2005 and 2006 by 22 per cent over 2004 to Rs12.5 billion but added that an "impressive growth in overall business and revenue" was overtaken by an abnormal surge in the fuel bill due to 74 per cent rise in fuel prices in 2006.
However, it said remedial measures were being taken, including fleet renewal by inducting fuel-efficient aircraft to replace "old fuel guzzlers", invigorated marketing to enhance revenue, costs control and a financial restructuring plan submitted to the government.
With these measures, it said, the management is confident to see a financial turnaround in 2007.
Earlier, the Senate passed the second legislation of its current session, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Bill, to provide for the establishment of such a council, as recommended by a mediation committee of both houses of parliament following its earlier passage in the National Assembly.
