According to details, in a high-level meeting on Monday the Prime Minister tasked Aviation Secretary Irfan Ellahi to probe the role of top PIA management officials in the recent protests. According to details provided by a source close to Nawaz Sharif, the investigation would focus on the role of top officials who easily backed down in the face of protests by the PIA Joint Action Committee.
Not happy with the situation, the Prime Minister has directed Irfan Ellahi to find out the factors that contributed to the collapse of PIA. Sources also claimed that the government was convinced these protests were engineered. An aide close to the PM also said government were in possession of evidence which proved the top-level management was ‘hand-in-glove-‘ with the Joint Action Committee.
“The government is in possession of evidence, which clearly suggests that a few senior management officials were ‘hand-in-glove’ with the JAC in bringing the national flag carrier’s operations to a grinding halt. However, a formal investigation is necessary in order to proceed against those responsible,” he said.
The top-level meeting on Monday included senior PML-N and government officials such as Senator Mushahidullah Khan, PM’s Adviser on Aviation Shujaat Azeem, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Aviation Division Secretary Irfan Ellahi and Privatisation Commission Chairman Mohammad Zubair.
The sudden resignation of PIA chairman Nasser Jaffer and non-presence of a couple of directors clearly pointed out to a plot hatched against the government. This investigation would aim to expose this plot, the PM’s aide said.
