KARACHI/RAWAL­PINDI: While the PIA authorities have managed to partially resume flight operations, the protesting workers said on Monday they were united and would not join duty till the government called off its plan to privatise the airline.

But keeping in view the difficulties being faced by over 200 Umrah pilgrims who had been stranded in a hotel in Karachi for several days, the employees allowed the management to operate one flight to Saudi Arabia for them.

Earlier, a protest march announced by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of PIA employees to press their demand for the recovery of their four missing colleagues was called off after the four were set free by their ‘captors’ early in the morning.

Almost all major political parties had announced their participation in the march.

Talking to Dawn, JAC spokesperson Nasrullah Afridi said the employees had allowed the airline’s management to operate only one special flight for the pilgrims. He rejected the management’s claim of resuming the flight operations and said that normally over 130 flights were operated daily and it was not a success if it managed to operate five to seven flights. And, he added, everybody knew that the crew members of these flights were working under pressure from the management/government.

Citing an example, he said a crew member from Lahore had told JAC leaders that she was not willing to join duty but an office van had been sent to her house, along with a police mobile, to pick her up.

Mr Afridi said the management could not succeed in its “designs with such highhanded tactics”. It is creating even more resentment among workers.

He said the protesting workers had gathered at the PIA head office in Karachi and sat there the whole day chanting slogans in support of their demands. He said the head office and other offices of the airline remained closed and no work was carried out.

About the protest march, the spokesperson said that since the four missing colleagues who had been picked up from their homes six days ago, returned on Monday morning, there was no reason to take out the rally.

Meanwhile, Peoples Unity and JAC leader Hidayatullah Khan, who was among the missing men, said: “I don’t know who or which agency had picked me/us up. The moment we were picked up our eyes had been covered and remained so till we were released. So we could not recognise the captors.

“We were not tortured. Only some general questions were asked. Today (Monday) early morning the captors left us on a road. After some time we opened our eyes and then came to the airport to meet and join our protesting colleagues. We are grateful for the workers whose protest led to our safe recovery.”

Mr Afridi said the workers were ready for talks with the government provided it announced the scrapping of its plan to privatise PIA. He said JAC chief Capt Sohail Baloch had already stated that if the prime minister was busy the workers were ready to meet Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan or Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to resolve the crisis.

Meanwhile, PIA spokesperson Daniyal Gilani said in a statement that action had been initiated against those workers who were threatening and stopping their colleagues from joining duty. He said security was being provided to the employees coming to offices.

In a move to remove the employees’ sit-in camp set up outside the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA), the city district government imposed Section 144 prohibiting gathering of four or more persons at any place within the limit of the airport police station, including the airport, for two days.

“No public assembly of four or more persons shall be allowed at any place within the jurisdiction of the Airport Police Station in District Rawalpindi unless at any specific place duly authorised by the local administration and police,” reads the order issued by Rawalpindi Acting Commissioner Sajid Zafar Dall.

Meanwhile, the workers chanted slogans against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the Privatisation Commission chairman and other ministers. But they praised Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar.

The general secretary of the Air League of Employees Union (CBA), Zaigham Sajjad Kiyani, and other leaders addressed the protesting workers.

A senior police officer requesting anonymity confirmed that three protesting employees had been picked up during the past 24 hours.

Zaigham Kiani condemned the police action and demanded immediate release of the detained employees.

The flight operations partially resumed on Sunday when two Boeing 777 aircraft of PIA brought home 725 pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia and one domestic flight for Gilgit and three international flights for Dubai and Jeddah were operated from the BBIA.

One domestic and four international flights had taken off from the Lahore airport on Sunday night.

On Monday, three flights – from Gilgit, Jeddah and Dubai – arrived in Islamabad.

Mohammad Zia, who along with other pilgrims in Jeddah had been waiting for Pakistan embassy officials to meet and tell them about their fate, was jubilant on landing at the Benazir Bhutto Airport on Monday.

“Finally, I along with my family have reached my homeland. I thank PIA and other people who arranged our safe return to Pakistan,” he told Dawn.

The PIA spokesman said five flights had taken off from Benazir Bhutto Airport on Monday and another five flights were operated from the Lahore airport.

Flight PK-263 left the Lahore airport for Abu Dhabi, Pak-760 for Madina, PK-245 for Dammam, PK-203 for Dubai and PK-303 for Karachi. Two flights brought back over 600 stranded pilgrims from Jeddah and Madina.

Meanwhile, the PIA management issued on Monday show-cause notices to over 70 employees for actively participating in the strike.

“We have issued show-cause notices to more than 70 employees for their active role in the strike. We will issue notices to more employees in coming days if they stick to their stance,” an airline official told Dawn in Lahore.

Zulqernain Tahir from Lahore contributed to the report

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2016