Pakistan’s National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) has sentenced three senior officials of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to six months in prison for contempt of court after repeatedly defying judicial orders.
The commission also imposed a Rs50,000 fine on each official, with an additional one-month imprisonment for failure to pay the fine.
The verdict, issued on Thursday, found Deputy CEO Khurram Mushtaq, Chief Human Resources Officer Athar Hussain, and PIA Balochistan General Manager Sadiq Muhammad Lodhi guilty of contempt.
They were also declared ineligible for future employment in any public or government institution. Furthermore, the commission ordered the immediate suspension of their salaries and other financial privileges.
The case stemmed from a petition filed by 17 PIA employees in Balochistan, who sought permanent employment status under Section 25 of the Balochistan Industrial Relations Act of 2010. These workers, employed as janitors and cleaners for up to 20 years, argued they had not been regularized despite their long service.
While the labour court initially dismissed their plea, the Balochistan Labour Appellate Tribunal upheld their case in a ruling on March 24, 2012, ordering their regularization. PIA appealed the decision in the Balochistan High Court and then in the Supreme Court, but both appeals were dismissed.
Despite clear orders from higher courts, PIA failed to implement the ruling, ignoring the decision for more than seven years and disregarding contempt notices. The court observed that, while some employees were eventually regularized, the process violated judicial instructions and omitted retrospective financial benefits.
The ruling emphasized that the contempt action was not driven by personal vendetta but was necessary to preserve public trust and uphold the dignity of the judiciary. “This contempt action is not motivated by personal vendetta but is essential to uphold public trust and the dignity of the judiciary,” the court stated.
The commission also directed police stations, the Inspector Generals of Police in Balochistan and Islamabad, and jail authorities to take immediate action on the arrest and incarceration of the convicted officials.
It also issued a notice to the Ministry of Defence to ensure compliance with the court’s orders.
In response, PIA officials announced plans to challenge the ruling, citing the ongoing privatization process and related administrative issues as grounds for contesting the decision.
