The Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the Auditor General of Pakistan to complete the audit of national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), for the last decade within the next 10 weeks and submit report.
A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a case pertaining to the privatisation of the national carrier, which the previous government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could not do during its tenure.
The top court had ordered the PIA to furnish terms of reference (ToRs) for the audit which the PIA management submitted to the court. However, the bench ordered to look further into the TORs and report back within two weeks.
At the beginning of hearing, Justice Nisar remarked that former special assistant to the prime minister on Aviation, Shujaat Azeem be allowed to travel abroad conditionally. The apex court removed his name from Exit Control List (ECL) on Thursday last.
During the hearing of a case regarding the condition of national flag carrier, the PIA administration informed the apex court on Friday that bringing immediate improvements to the company was not possible.
According to the documents submitted by the PIA administration, Pakistan''''s unfavourable circumstances have affected the airline, and that losses on most routes and excess staff were the primary reasons behind the airline''''s financial situation.
According to the PIA, most aircraft have been grounded since last year. Political interference and a largely de-motivated staff have added to the challenges faced by the national carrier, the response stated.
The airline''''s total loss has reached Rs406 billion, with a total of just Rs111 billion assets.
The PIA''''s administration further informed the top court that the airline''''s staff lacked the required experience and expertise. The airline is operating on the same pattern as government departments, the PIA''''s response stated.
The Chief Justice also grilled Mehtab Abbasi for his inability to turn around things during his tenure as adviser. The top judge also questioned his expertise based on which he was handpicked as adviser to the prime minister on aviation.
To this, Abbasi had nothing satisfactory to say except recalling that he had served as the chief minister and federal minister, which were the reasons he had been chosen as adviser by the previous government to look after the matters of PIA.
But the former adviser had nothing when he was asked what step he had taken to put the loss-making entity on the path of recovery during his party''''s government which ruled the roost for complete five years, but the dilapidated condition of PIA remained the same.
Last week, the apex court had also stopped use of Markhor logo on PIA planes in place of the national flag, besides banning recruitment of new pilots till the court announces its verdict in the case.
"Improve the bathroom conditions instead of using pictures of the Markhor," Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar remarked, adding that favouritism had harmed the institution.
On May 13, the Supreme Court had temporarily barred PIA from using the Markhor logo on the tail of its planes instead of the national flag.