RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Interna­tional Airlines (PIA) terminated services of 74 employees on various charges, including submitting fake or tempered degrees, sabotaging company property, taking bribe and for their involvement in theft and smuggling of narcotics, during August.

None of the 74 employees dismissed from service were pilots or crew members. Penalties were imposed on them after they were found guilty by respective inquiries, either conducted by officers or a committee.

A PIA spokesman said the management, however, awarded appreciation letters to 17 employees for showing dedication and commitment and monetary awards were given to five other employees for working beyond the call of duty.

“Discipline is the most important aspect of any organisation as it binds the employees and motivates them to follow the organisation’s rules and regulations. It is, therefore, important to appreciate hardworking and dedicated employees and punish defaulters found guilty after transparent and unbiased inquiries as per law,” the PIA’s HR department said in a letter to all employees.

Out of 74 employees who were dismissed from the service 27 had submitted fake or tempered degrees and documents, 31 had been absent from duty, four were involved in damaging the company property, two were found guilty of disclosing official information without authorisation, and three had been dismissed for taking bribe from customers.

Likewise, two employees have been dismissed for getting involved in illegal and immoral acts of omission while one was found guilty of indulgence in alcohol or narcotics, three have been dismissed for theft and destruction of official record and one has been dismissed for involvement in smuggling.

The spokesman said four employees were demoted for disobedience and the increment of six was withheld on charges of violating SOPs.

Meanwhile, Emirates Sky Cargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, has transported over 10 million mangoes from Pakistan this season to destinations around the world.

An Emirates spokesman said in a press release on Tuesday that Pakistan was regarded as one of the most important producers in the world of mangoes of quality.

Mango, considered the ‘king’ of fruits, is a specialty export product and makes a major contribution to the national economy.

Despite challenges faced due to Covid-19 epidemic during the export season, Emirates Sky Cargo continued to link local Pakistani businesses and traders to buyers all around the world, the spokesman said.

Pakistani mangoes are popular in North America and Europe, with large quantities of the fruit transported to these regions every year. The main markets where Emirates Sky Cargo transported mangoes from Pakistan this season included the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, France, Singapore, Malaysia and the UAE.

“Pakistan is a major mango producer and we are pleased to offer our cargo services to Pakistani exporters even during these difficult times,” Faisal Yaqoob, Emi­rates cargo manager in Pakistan, said.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2020