Pakistan president directs aviation authority to appoint deceased employee’s son

Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zardari, instructed the country's aviation authority to finalize the appointment of a deceased employee’s son under the legal framework within a month.

According to a statement from the President House, Faheem Ahmed had filed a complaint against the PCAA for failing to appoint him under the "deceased employees" quota.

Ahmed stated that his father, a PCAA employee, passed away in 1999 due to cancer while still in service. At the time, Ahmed was a minor and ineligible to apply for a position under the quota.

When Ahmed eventually applied for the role, his request was denied without explanation. Despite approaching the PCAA for redress, his grievances were ignored.

He then sought help from the federal ombudsman, who ruled that Ahmed had not established any case of maladministration by the PCAA, as the Family Assistance Package was not applicable when he applied.

Unhappy with the outcome, Ahmed filed a representation with the president, challenging the ombudsman's decision.

In his ruling, President Zardari noted that Ahmed’s father died in 1999 when Ahmed was just six years old. He applied for a job under the 2005 policy, which allowed the son of a deceased employee to be considered for appointment without the need for an advertisement.

The president dismissed PCAA’s argument that the Family Assistance Package, adopted in 2005, did not apply in this case. He clarified that since Ahmed reached the age of maturity after the introduction of the policy, he was eligible for consideration under it.

Zardari emphasized that the case required a prospective application of the policy, not a retrospective one. He also referenced the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s judgment in Civil Appeal No. 410/2020, dated June 2, 2021, to support his decision.

Consequently, President Zardari accepted Ahmed’s representation and directed the PCAA to process his appointment by the law within one month.