Managing Director Pakistan International Airline Ejaz Haroon Tuesday declined any agreement or Memorandum of Understanding with Turkish Airline. “I have said earlier and now I am repeating that there is no agreement or MoU signed between PIA and Turkish Airline, rather the two institutions signed a ‘Record of Discussion’ (RoD) for their commercial interest,” he said in an interview with Waqt TV channel. Haroon said that it was the main condition in the RoD that the two airlines would get approval from the Ministry of Defence of their respective countries. “We will follow the procedure and it will come to the board and the board would be the final authority to approve it,” he said.
He said that the RoD was also circulated to the members of board of directors. “They (PALPA) should call off the strike in the interest of the people of Pakistan and come to us for solution of their problems,” the MD said. He said Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (PALPA) had some misunderstandings regarding the document despite the fact that the administration had time and again said that there was no agreement between the two airlines. He said the administration could not take any decision under the pressure of any union, adding that it had to take decision in the interest of its employees. Haroon said, “We are ready to talk with any union of PIA and we have already satisfied some members of union.” He said the administration has already sent letter to the unions for negotiation but they didn’t agree to sit on the table.
Head of PALPA Sohail Baloch said that Joint Action Committee would take any decision either to sit with the administration or to continue the protest, adding that they had conveyed their concerns to the administration 10 days earlier but the administration did not pay any attention and PALPA was forced to stage protest. He was insisting that MD PIA signed the agreement with Turkish airline in violation of the law, adding that under the law the MD could not sign any agreement with any foreign airline. He said Aviation was the authority to enter into an agreement, adding that the MD also bypassed the board of directors and signed the agreement without taking them into confidence. – Nation
