Airhostess sues PIA management over sexual harassment

KARACHI (Web Desk) - An airhostess has filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against Pakistan International Airline (PIA) chairperson, its general manager, the human resource director and chief medical officer for issuing her show-cause notice allegedly to victimise her for complaining against the harassment at the workplace.

After hearing the initial arguments, SHC division bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro issued notices to the respondents for August 22.

The flag carrier’s airhostess, Shahila Parveen, had approached the high court challenging the show-cause notice served on her by the organisation’s human resource’s director.

In her petition, she said that she joined the service in 2005 and started performing her duties as general manager.

Later, Parveen said she was placed under charge of Zafar Khaskhely, the controller at the PIA medical centre. She alleged that the officer started harassing her by objecting to her dressing and using inappropriate language.

The air hostess informed the court on February 16, 2015 that the officer’s intenttions became clear as he called her on the pretext of discussing something important but started misbehaving with her. She complained to the competent authority against the controller of the medical center due to which other officers including Dr AQA Akhund, Dr Naveed Daudpota started pressurizing her to withdraw her complaints.

Parveen alleged that she was also victimised for refusing to take back the complaint. The authorities deliberately denied her and her family medical care at the PIA health facility. “I was not provided an ambulance on time that resulted in the miscarriage of my baby,” said the air hostess, adding, “The respondents are responsible for the killing of my baby.”

She further said that later the human resource director issued her a show-cause notice, seeking an explanation for allegedly making false complaints against the officers all the time, The Express Tribune reported.

The petitioner pleaded the court declare that the show-cause was issued with malafide intentions to victimise her for complaining against the officer involved in harassing her at the workplace. Therefore, she sought suspension of the notice.