The government has imposed the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952, on the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for six months for the repatriation of Pakistanis stranded abroad.
According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday, the act would come into force immediately and would remain in effect for the next six months to ensure interrupted flight operations.
As per the act, no employee of the national flag carrier would be able to deny their services and refusal to work may lead to legal action.
Reportedly, PIA has brought almost 27,000 Pakistanis back home but there are thousands more in various countries waiting to return to Pakistan.
