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KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has sacked its chief operations officer, Zia Qadir Qureshi, it was learnt on Saturday.
According to sources, Mr Qureshi was sacked on Friday because he could not perform his duties according to work standards of the PIA. They said he had also failed to achieve objectives for which he had been hired.
Take a look: SC orders auditor general to complete PIA audit within 10 weeks
Responding to Dawn queries, PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar confirmed on Saturday that Mr Qureshi’s contract had been terminated.
The Auditor General’s office termed Mr Qureshi’s appointment an “undue favour”. It called for the immediate termination of his services and an action against those who had hired him.
The sources said Mr Qureshi, said to be a blue-eyed boy of adviser to the former prime minister on aviation Mehtab Abbasi, was hired on a contract at Rs1.5 million per month on June 5, 2017. Mr Qureshi was just three months short of reaching the age of superannuation (October 2017) at the time of his appointment.
In the termination letter, issued by PIA’s Chief Human Resources Officer Asma Bajwa who herself is a contractual employee, told Mr Qureshi that “continuation of your appointment beyond the age of superannuation in Oct 2017 was subject to bi-annual review of your performance”.
The sources said Mr Qureshi was called twice for performance review meetings but he could not attend them.
Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018
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Comments (50) Closed
Aug 19, 2018 07:58am
A prelude to accountability?
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Aug 19, 2018 08:01am
Action against the people who hired him? Is that constitutional?
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Aug 19, 2018 08:04am
Alhamdolillah...I hope it’s the beginning of new Pakistan.
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Aug 19, 2018 08:09am
Good morning new Pakistan !!
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Aug 19, 2018 08:31am
First wicket down, before even a ball is bowled
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Aug 19, 2018 08:37am
Privatize and get it over with!
No use further bleeding billions on this white elephant! That money could be better spent on other challenges facing Pakistan such as illiteracy, malnutrition, high infant mortality etc.
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Aug 19, 2018 08:38am
He took the money but couldn't be bothered to attend a
performance review meeting! Says it all.
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Aug 19, 2018 08:40am
The tabdeeli begins!!
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Aug 19, 2018 08:41am
They should put the entire PIA management team in a he same sack and send them packing.
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Aug 19, 2018 08:44am
Those that hired him need to be held accountable and if it transpires that protocols were not followed or adhered to they should be punished too
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Aug 19, 2018 08:52am
He is not the only one appointed illegally. Take a look at the appointments for the last 30 years for PIA, and then compare them with the advertised posts. I bet you can hardly find any advertisement from PIA for hiring. I know, myself being an engineer, and knowing PIA has got good jobs, was looking for advertisements from PIA for long, and found some of my acquaitances got job in PIA with far less qualifications than myself, in the field I was working.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:01am
This is what we wanted to see. Good start.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:01am
What a joke.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:06am
It is good to see that process of 'accountability' has started. One is paid salary and benefits by tax payers to do his/her job properly. Those who are unable to fulfill their job responsibilities, must resign or be replaced with more capable personnel who can do their job properly. But the system of accountability must be fair otherwise its value would be lost.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:09am
PIA's fluff needs to be fluffed out!
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Aug 19, 2018 09:35am
To stop such irregularities action should be taken against person or persons who appoint such person.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:37am
And the change begins
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Aug 19, 2018 09:48am
The first wicket is down in the very first over.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:49am
First day of PM IK and steps towards Naya Pakistan taken.
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Aug 19, 2018 09:58am
Hreat news. Ruthless accountability is in order if Pakistan is to survive as a country.
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Aug 19, 2018 10:15am
There we go
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Aug 19, 2018 10:18am
Time to kick out all PIA employees who were hired without merit by PML-N and PPP government
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Aug 19, 2018 10:41am
It is the case of new sheriff in town.
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Aug 19, 2018 11:00am
Finally!!
PIA went from the best to the worst airline. These people are responsible.
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Aug 19, 2018 11:06am
Bouncer on the very first ball. Good start.
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Aug 19, 2018 11:25am
The worst action or plan of a corporation is to hire employees on contract. It kills the work initiative and performance.
It is a surprise to read that the top gun if HR and the CCO were on contract. It is now time for PIA to re-organize internally not by hiring foreign contractors...PLEASE. Pakistan has enuff talent to make it work and the best thing is to gradually erode the contract system from the corporation. Salams
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Aug 19, 2018 11:26am
What a pounder the last government has unleashed in the name of advisors and private companies in a country where half the population survives on a dollar a day. With average man earning a dollar a day, how in the right conscious, someone could be paid millions in salary and perks
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Aug 19, 2018 11:27am
Good step, show the door to all those who got into these position merely on the basis of nepotism and favouritism
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Aug 19, 2018 11:42am
Good move, let's get rid of all 'Safarishi' and incompetent people from all government offices and recruit honest, qualified and capable people based on on merits. This will improve performance and integrity of the institution and have trust on them - there should be no room for black sheep in our society!
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Aug 19, 2018 11:58am
1000s of these "favoured" worker who have ruined the nation must be punished
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Aug 19, 2018 12:06pm
Are there any Work Standards is a surprise to many of us. These standards if any needs to be reviewed as these are hindering an Absolute Monopoly in performing their duties for the betterment of airline.
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Aug 19, 2018 12:15pm
The entire PIA operations needs to be shut down, revamped with fresh management, new business model, change in attitude and quality service. Otherwise it is nothing but a burden on the tax payer and source of embarrassement for the nation.
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Aug 19, 2018 12:41pm
Room for inefficiency and nepotism will now shrink.
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Aug 19, 2018 12:46pm
Sack every one who has been appointed by favours immediately.
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Aug 19, 2018 12:57pm
@Auintie M. Not only constitutional but it’s a crime as per NAB ordinance catering into ‘use of power’ to entertain your cronies while damaging public funds’.
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Aug 19, 2018 01:28pm
Get Arif Ali Khan Abbasi as PIA head since he has the ability and competence to turn around this airline.
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Aug 19, 2018 01:36pm
PMLN stooges will be replaced by PTI ones.
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Aug 19, 2018 03:46pm
Merit is ignored in appointments and prescribed recruitment criteria is not followed throughout Pakistan resulting thereby majority of bureaucracy is incompetent and has become source of currupt practices. A drastic change in recruitment is needed.Criteria of appointment must be merit and only merit in terms of requirements of vacancies and corresponding ability of the person (s) applied for the positions.
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Aug 19, 2018 05:05pm
This state owned organization is in a big mess we hope new government will clean this as soon as possible.
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Aug 19, 2018 05:06pm
PIA is one of the biggest white elephants of corruption with deep rooted nepotism and cronyism .Corruption has engulfed every segment of society and elements of so called Mafia Elite which include some journalists and TV commentators are spreading rumors about capabilities and intentions of new Govt to protect their vested interests.PIA needs a heavy handed clean up operation.
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Aug 19, 2018 05:08pm
I remember got sacrifice in runway! Simply horrible.
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Aug 19, 2018 06:10pm
All PPP and PML-N appointed cronies in any department anywhere should be removed and proper hiring be done on merit.
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Aug 20, 2018 03:05am
Mr Qureshi was sacked on Friday because he could not perform his duties according to work standards of the PIA. They said he had also failed to achieve objectives for which he had been hired.
This must be a first in Pakistan, somebody losing their job for failing to perform the duties. If this continues throughout PIA, half of the employees will be terminated. At least it is a beginning, lets hope same standard is applied in PIA in every department and other institutions.
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Aug 20, 2018 02:53pm
Review each PIA middle to senior post as regards performance you'll find nearly all appointments could be challenged and sacked on the spot.
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Aug 20, 2018 06:17pm
Should proceed with full force of the law against those who were involved in securing his appointment and others like him. No wonder why PIA was nose diving, it was these elements who sucked the blood out of our national carrier.
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Aug 20, 2018 08:39pm
PIA was declared best Airline of the year in 1976. Now look where it is. IK has been handed state institutions right at the bottom of all markers. He has a tough job, he must be given time to full fill his dream of making Pakistan great and at the top. The nation stands behind him.
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Aug 20, 2018 10:13pm
Yes, action against corrupt people who hired him not on merit but because they stand to benefit from his appointment.
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Aug 21, 2018 03:36am
"The sources said Mr Qureshi was called twice for performance review meetings but he could not attend them"
In a corporate world, this amounts to arrogance and unprofessional. He should have been sacked soon after his failure to show up the 2nd time.
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Aug 21, 2018 05:36am
Shut down pia and make those slots available to other carriers . You stop the bleeding and rake in some money . Eventually with some coffers filled up a new and lean PIA can be stood up after some years .Everyday PIA bleeds millions and no one is happy not their customers , not the employees not the taxpayers . What is so hard about doinng what common sense demands .
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Aug 21, 2018 01:04pm
@Auintie M.
You may be surprised that a considerable majority of the employees are appointed as political favours.
The political actors are the ones, who have a greater influence on the recruitment. Ability to do the job or competence comes second.
If anybody doubts this proposition, why not have a survey done to find out the facts of the appointments of the higher echelon of the PIA. After all the taxpayers' money has been going into propping up the service.
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