Three Senior PIA Officers Sentenced by NIRC Balochistan Over Court Order Violation

Islamabad: The National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) Balochistan has handed prison sentences and fines to three senior officials of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for defying a court directive related to employee regularisation.

According to official details, Abdul Ghani Mengal, a member of the NIRC Quetta bench, issued a detailed verdict after hearing a case concerning the employment status of daily wage workers at PIA’s Quetta station.

The court found that PIA’s Deputy CEO, Head of Human Resources, and General Manager Balochistan failed to comply with an earlier order mandating the regularisation of 17 daily wage employees. As a result, each officer has been sentenced to six months and twenty days in prison, along with a fine of PKR 50,000.

Additionally, the court has declared all three officers ineligible for future government positions and ordered the immediate suspension of their salaries and benefits. The Inspector Generals of Islamabad and Balochistan have been directed to ensure that the officers are taken into custody and transferred to jail without delay.

In response, a spokesperson for PIA stated that while the airline respects judicial decisions, several key legal aspects were not fully addressed during the proceedings. The spokesperson emphasised that the court was not adequately informed about the ongoing privatisation process and the associated administrative complexities.

PIA has reportedly filed a review petition against the decision in the appropriate legal forum.