ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) staged a sit-in at Islamabad International Airport on Friday to protest against the planned privatisation of the national flag carrier, warning that flight operations could be suspended if their demands are ignored.
The protest was organised by the People’s Unity of PIA Employees Union and was attended by its president Ramzan Laghari, general secretary Sohail Mukhtar and other office-bearers. Chanting slogans, the demonstrators vowed to “go the extra mile” to stop what they termed a sell-off of the airline.
Addressing the protesters, union leaders said privatisation in the name of reforms would not be allowed to turn into “daylight robbery.” They demanded firm guarantees for job security if privatisation was to go ahead.
General Secretary Sohail Mukhtar warned that if pushed to the wall, employees would shut down PIA’s operations. He added that protests would be rolled out across all major stations, including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Islamabad.
It may be noted that the federal government has announced December 23 as the date for the auction of PIA, and preparations for the process are already under way.