Pilot’s suspension
KARACHI: A passenger of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) may move an international court against the airline for allegedly making his private communication public, sources said on Tuesday.
Shahzad Chohan, a London-based business class passenger, who traveled in the PIA flight PK-785, alleged that his complaint/comment card was leaked in and over-reported by media. Chohan, who is chairman of the United Capital Group, said the media, quoting his complaint, reported that the flight (PK-785) Captain Amir Hashmi grabbed some shut-eye during the flight. The reports brought bad name to the national flag carrier.
The passenger, therefore, sought an explanation from Nayyar Hayat, managing director PIA for leaking his comments and details to media.
“I expect an apology with an explanation,” he said in a message sent to the official email address of MD PIA. “Failing to receive a reasonable response, I shall be filing a case against PIA in London court and will seek damages and compensations as such.”
Coordination officer of MD PIA, however, expressed ignorance about any such correspondence, a copy of which is available with The News. Chohan accused PIA’s officials of disclosing his details to the media without his consent and “since then he was going through stress and anxiety due to the breach of his rights as a business class passenger.”
“PIA circulated fake images on the media claiming that they were sent by me, whereas I never sent any images with the comment card,” he said. “Someone within your department is brewing this storm to defame a professional pilot.”
Chohan was referring to captain Hashmi, who was grounded by the PIA management and served a show cause notice following the media reports. The passenger, in his complaint card, noted that captain was sleeping during the flight. He, however, retracted his complaint and in the aforementioned email demanded a confirmation from PIA that his complaint had been closed as requested by him.
Sources said Chohan’s feedback on the comment card was based on misinformation by a crew member. "When during the flight he had asked a crew member for a pilot and he was told that the captain was sleeping," sources said. A senior PIA official, requesting anonymity, said the entire episode was a plot designed by politically-backed unions and some employees against Hashmi, who is also chairman of PIA Anti-Corruption and Cost-Cutting Committee.
The official said Hashmi is a seasoned professional who’s headed the Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association and also rescued PIA during a strike by employees in 2015. The then Special Advisor to Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem personally praised him for his efforts. Hashmi has served PIA for 40 years with a clean record. He is known for his criticism against PIA unions and was openly given life threats by several union leaders. He recommended reduction in union funds and closing of their offices, which were operating at PIA expenses.
An official said Hashmi is a favourite candidate for the position of chief operating officer of PIA and this would be quite unfavourable for certain quarters, including some pilots. “So, the entire scene was staged to defame him actually,” he lamented.