KARACHI: The recently sacked chief operating officer of Pakistan International Airlines, Zia Qader Qureshi, on Monday termed the termination of his employment contract “illegal and without due process” and demanded that his official emails and phone be restored.

In a letter to PIA’s Human Resources chief Asma Bajwa, who had issued the termination letter, Mr Qureshi says that, “you (Ms Bajwa) and PIA Chief Executive Officer Musharraf Rasool Cyan have acted with gross negligence and mala fide intention in terminating my employment contract”.

He said that his access to official email and computer system had been cut so that he could not collect evidence to prove falsehood of allegations levelled against him.

He said that owing to lack of access to emails and computer network he could also not provide any information to the National Accountability Bureau and to the auditors scrutinising various issues, including the appointment of CEO Cyan, under the instructions of the Supreme Court.

The PIA had terminated the contract of Mr Qureshi on Aug 17, saying that he had failed to meet the objectives for which he had been hired and that he also could not attend the meetings held to review his performance.

Mr Qureshi, who was hired on the contract basis when he was just three months short of reaching the age of superannuation, maintains that he was sick so he could not attend the meetings, and that his performance had been “outstanding”.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2018