The dispute began in December 2020 when Jamy, who was not on the board of PTCL at the time, demanded a $5,000 fee for attending a meeting. Khattak refused to pay the fee because it was not allowed under PTCL rules.
Jamy then submitted a fake invoice for a business class ticket from Islamabad to Dubai on Emirates Airline. Khattak caught Jamy lying and refused to reimburse him the full amount.
Jamy then began a campaign to get Khattak terminated from service. He pressured the board to make her pay the fee or face termination, but the board refused.
In August 2023, Jamy was appointed chairman of the board of PTCL. He then oversaw an objectionable move in the first board meeting, which itself is scandalous. The chief financial officer presented a business case that he had not shared with the directors in advance of the meeting as mandated by law. Khattak pointed that out and the CFO acknowledged that he was presenting a changed business case and promised that he will share it immediately once the meeting concludes. Khattak reminded him after the meeting but the information was not shared. The CFO undertook to share it on August 30 simultaneously with submission of the bid.
Khattak waited for a week without hearing anything from the CFO. In the meeting’s minutes she drafted later on, Khattak noted that “the presentation based on which the board took the decision has not been shared by the management and as such, is not included in the minutes”. Hassan, the chairman, knowing fully well “that the complainant [Saima] was not at fault, refused to finalize the minutes on the pretext that they didn’t include the presentation (which the CFO declined to share) and [she] should redraft them”.
On September 12, the management terminated Khattak’s employment without lawful authority and without cause. Even the board was not taken into confidence. Khattak has filed a complaint with the Federal Ombudswoman for Protection Against Harassment at Work, alleging that she was forced to work in a toxic environment where the top management had little regard for corporate governance.
