LAHORE: The government spent a huge amount of Rs 600 billion annually on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to meet its losses but in vain, said Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid.
While talking to media after inaugurating Lahore International Book Fair at the Expo Centre, the minister said that the amount could be saved and spent on education and other job generating projects.
Pervaiz Rashid said that the government is making sincere efforts to make it a financially viable entity. He said that the loss of Rs 600 billion was jointly being borne by the people and the government. He further said that the government was working on different options to turn around the PIA, but it was necessary to reform the “mischievous elements” in the airline. Those elements were responsible for the present deplorable condition of the airline, he added.
“The PIA workers should join their duties and restart work in the larger public interest,” the minister said. Regarding the Essential Services Act, Pervaiz Rashid said it was invoked against those who disrupted flight operation by indulging in unlawful activities. The minister said the strike remained unsuccessful after he appealed to the PIA workers but the mischievous elements took to the roads and tried to stop work by force. He lamented the fact that respectable people lost their lives in the incident, adding that every Pakistani was saddened by the death of those persons after the strikers turned violent.
