Pakistan International Airlines has fired 200 employees for presenting fake degrees at the time of hiring. PIA Director Public Relations Syed Sultan Hassan told The Express Tribune that employees were served warning notices multiple times and given a chance to prove their documents were valid before being handed pink slips.

According to Hassan, the degree verification process began in 1997 since when all contracts and letters of employment issued have clearly stated that education documents will be verified from relevant institutions. He said that after PIA was unable to confirm the documents, employees were served notices and given time to prove that they have, in fact, secured the degrees or diplomas that they claimed at the time of appointment.

The 200 employees whose documents could not be verified from their educational institutions had been told to respond to the charges against them by June 30. “All employees who were able to prove the validity of their documents remain employees,” said Hassan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2010.

Bali is a land that seems to have a magnet at its very heart. It is a feeling that is difficult to understand unless experienced but once visited you are surely compelled to come back and you may even want to stay forever, such is its pull. Maybe its Bali’s beauty, maybe the friendly people, or maybe even the influence from spirits that certainly abide in this place.

Bali goes under many names. Some call it the ‘island of the gods’, others Shangri-La. The ‘last paradise’, the ‘dawning of the world’ and the ‘centre of the universe’ are yet more names for this truly beautiful tropical island inhabited by a remarkably artistic people who have created a dynamic society with unique arts and ceremonies.

Bali is small, just 140 Km by 80 Km and lies between Java, the most highly populated and influential of all the islands, and Lombok, one of the quieter and moderately slower paced islands. Like many islands, Bali has developed a world of its own. It not only captures what is special about Indonesia but also has a uniqueness of its own.

Daily life on Bali is culturally linked to satisfying and appeasing the gods, spirits and demons in the midst of breathtaking panoramas of cultivated rice terraces, impressive volcanoes and pristine beaches. Bali’s main volcano, Gunung Agung, is still active and sometimes explosive and is considered sacred among local people as it is believed to be the centre of the universe.

Lying just 8o south of the Equator, Bali can boast a tropical climate with just two seasons a year and an average temperature of around 28o Celsius. It has a whole range of different environments and activities for the tourist, many of which are covered in these homepages.