I request President Asif Zardari to kindly intervene and immediately order change in PIAs top management including the MD. It is a strange contradiction that PPP government thought it fit to intervene when privatized KESC dispensed with services of employees, but is instrumental in sacking several regular permanent employees of PIA, who are exercising their right to protest. Had PIA done a Code Sharing with Turkish Airline with bilateral reciprocal self-ticketing on flights, there would have been no issue, nor would there have been protests in case of an alliance with any airline, which would have benefited the national airline. What has happened is that an MD whose own appointment does not meet the merit, has through his style of management inflicted losses of Rs 6 billion per day since he took over. Under his watchful eye, PIA has been declared as amongst the worst airlines of the world for poor flight regularity, delays and cancellations by IATA approved agencies and major airport authorities in UK. The MD without approval of the Board of Directors has signed a Record of Discussion document with Turk Haya Yollari CEO, which clearly points that PIA will cease all existing operations to USA and other major destinations in Europe like Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Barcelona etc, while the other airline will only offer joint partnership on routes East of Pakistan like Bombay, Dacca, Colombo, Kathmandu etc. What is intriguing is that Turk Hava only operates to Bombay out of these destinations and will not cease operation even on that route. PIA does not stand to gain anything by ceasing operation on the routes it has agreed to, except the nominal commission. PIA has been operating on the sectors that it will suspend with high seat factors in excess of 76%, which should have yielded profits instead of losses, had there been no pilferage or other excess expenditure. GULL ZAMAN, Peshawar, February 9.