A court has upheld the reinstatement of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employee, rejecting a petition filed against the decision to nullify her dismissal.
The court ordered PIA to restore the employee to her position and pay all pending dues and benefits.
In its remarks, the court stated that no irregularities were found in the decisions of the lower forums. It added that there was no justification for the High Court to interfere in the matter.
During the hearing, counsel for PIA argued that the employee, Saima Hafeez Soomro, had been issued a show-cause notice in 2017 for remaining absent from work. Following an inquiry, she was dismissed from service.
However, the employee’s lawyer contended that the dismissal was unlawful. He stated that she had taken leave due to her father’s illness and had sufficient leave available, but the HR department did not approve it.
The lawyer further argued that the show-cause notice was issued after the legal time limit had expired. He also said that during the inquiry, the employee was not given the right to cross-examine witnesses.
According to the employee’s counsel, all proceedings taken against her were illegal.
