PIA 'losing patience' with The Nation

[PakN'US]

PIA ‘losing patience’ with The Nation

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
LAHORE - PIA is ‘losing patience rapidly’ with The Nation, and has warned the paper that it will ‘have to review our business relationship.’
In a letter from PIA’s GM Public Affairs to the Editor of The Nation, PIA has accused The Nation of maligning it ‘without any reason or provocation.’
The letter was sent in connection with a news item of July 7, which was about the government’s refusal to inject Rs 6 billion of taxpayers’ money into PIA. The airlines’ spokesman has questioned this newspaper’s motives instead of addressing the issue raised in the story.
The text of the letter is produced below, without editing or correction of errors:
“Friday, July 07, 2006
Mr Arif Nizami
Editor
The Nation
This is with reference to a News Item published in The Nation, of Friday, July 07, 2006, from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, concerning PIA. It is not understood as to why the Nation continues pursue a policy of negative and unsubstantiated reporting against PIA. It ill behooves a paper like the Nation to continue to cast aspersions on the national flag carrier with a consistency that borders on odium. Whether it is a continuous stream of letters to the editor or it is erroneous reporting, The Nation continues to malign PIA without any reason or provocation.
Such an incorrect reporting is bound to invite legal censure if it is not restrained at your end forthwith. A couple of examples of the malicious reporting by your reporter will be enough here to clarify the point. There are 10 Board Of Directors in PIA, and all of them are appointed by the Government of Pakistan There are only 54 General Managers in PIA instead of 72 as mentioned by your newspapers runaway imagination. There are only 14 Senior Vice Presidents instead of 28 as mentioned in your report. And despite the fact that we have unequivocally and only recently clarified to your newspaper and which was even published in your paper, that the Chairman & CEO, PIA, does not get the emoluments your correspondent mentions but only as much as he received in PSO. We had also written in it that if there was any proof required he could refer to PIA Annual Report for the correct figure. But all of that, it seems, has fallen on deaf ears because your paper continue to choose to be malicious. Besides malicious intent, it also seems to reflect some vested interest.
It seems your reporter is not able to appreciate, nor differentiate at all, the good work being carried out by the national carrier which continues to be lauded by the a vast number of passengers which have flown with us. Earlier we had provided your paper with statistics in this context also and your newspaper had published it.
As for the accusation of ‘gross mismanagement’ tell me, Mr. Nizami, is the airlines regularity and punctuality that is the highest in 26 years in PIA, mismanagement? Is the improvement in yield, seat factor, aircraft utilization, and market share (which had reached its lowest ebb in April 2005), mismanagement? Is the customer satisfaction index that has reduced to a mere 12% from 43%, while the passenger comments inputs have increased ten fold, mismanagement? Is the new aggressive, customer-oriented competitiveness, mismanagement? Are the customer conveniences now being provided like e-ticketing, pick up and drop, baggage tracking system, special standby fares, new comfortable aircraft interiors, compliant management system, mismanagement? Are the restructuring efforts now in progress, the employee motivation schemes and benefit measures now in place, including the uplifting and renovation of the PIA Head Office, mismanagement? In short, are all the operational indicators that show positive growth, each and every single one of them, that constitute the criteria of measurement of the performance of any airline, in a brief span of 14 months, mismanagement? If it is, then I am sorry your reporter doesn’t know what management is all about.
Your reporter forgets to point out and emphasize upon the real culprit and that is the unprecedented rise is fuel prices, which, while being in no ones control, has affected the entire economy of the country, and not just PIA. Jet fuel costs, for your reporters information, have gone up by up by 40%.
We are losing our patience rapidly with your papers negative and foul reporting. The ball is your court now. And, considering all of the above, we think that we will have to review our business relationship, if such reporting with malicious intent, is repeated in the future.
Capt Hassan Jaffery
General Manager
Public Affairs & Communication”
It may be added that PIA is a public limited company in which the Government of Pakistan is the majority shareholder. PIA is thus a trust of the people of Pakistan, and taxpayers benefit from its profits and have to make up its losses. It is also the designated national carrier, and its performance not only affects all the hundreds of thousands of Pakistani citizens who travel by it, but also Pakistan’s image abroad, as was evidenced by the Fokker crash near Multan only two days ago.
It is therefore impossible for any responsible media organisation to turn a blind eye to PIA’s failings, errors or problems, and it is improper for any state-owned organisation to ask for blanket exemption from coverage of its activities by exploiting its ‘business relationships.’
The Nation has done its best to cover all national institutions professionally and objectively, without undue favour or improper bias. Whenever any error has been pointed out, or alternative point of view expressed, it has made it a point to correct the error or convey the alternative view. It will continue doing so, just as much as it will continue covering the activities of all those organisations where the public interest so demands.

http://nation.com.pk/daily/july-2006/12/index6.php