KARACHI: Chairman and Managing Director of the PIA, Air Chief Marshal (r) Rao Qamar Suleman Tuesday tendered his resignation on health grounds.
PIA Deputy MD Captain Junaid Younus will be the acting managing director of the national flag carrier to look after its affairs following Qamar’s resignation, said a PIA spokesman here on Tuesday. A notification has been issued by defence ministry, he added.
Rao Qamar was appointed as PIA MD in March 2012 and elevated to the position of Chairman and CEO in May 2012, said a spokesman here on Tuesday. He reorganised PIA top management, brought about other changes and also prepared the PIA Business Plan in consultation with the employees of the corporation. The government fully supported and backed him in all his endeavours to revitalise the PIA.
However, due to health reasons the former Air Chief Marshal felt that he may not be able to do justice to his assignment. Therefore, purely on health grounds, he requested the government to relieve him. The government reluctantly accepted his resignation because of health reasons.
During the last two months he was twice hospitalised due to ill health and had to undergo surgical procedures and was unable to fully concentrate and devote his energies to his assignment and needed rest to fully recuperate. The spokesman said that the for Air Chief thanked the federal government for accepting his request.
Rao Qamar, who belongs to Okara, got his initial training from PAF Public School, Sargodha, where he belonged to the 17th entry (851-Sabre House). Thereafter, he joined PAF Academy, Risalpur in 1972 and was commissioned in Pakistan Air Force as a fighter pilot on June 1, 1975 in the 59th GD(P) Course. He commanded the PAF from March 18, 2009 to March 18, 2012. – Nation
