This is with reference to Interior Minister’s press conference about FIA probing massive corruption in PIA and placing its CEO on ECL. The bad choice of a German who joined Lufthansa as an apprentice mechanic, and had no worthwhile management experience except working in middle management within a subsidiary, raises questions about motives of those who selected him to head PIA. Why does every government, from Musharraf to Asif Zardari and now Nawaz Sharif choose to appoint controversial persons, whether they be a high school educated PIA pilot, or this Gora mechanic or shoe manufacturer and expect to turn around this ailing white elephant?

From controversial swap of brand new DC-10 with ageing Boeing jumbo to leasing of Russian aircraft for Hajj or Umrah in the 1980s or in the 1990s, or Boeing and Airbus thereafter, PIA’s successive managements and their corporate planning have always paid 60% to 90% more cost than leasing rate by private airlines and other regional operators. It could only have happened in Pakistan that PIA bought Boeing 747-300 from Cathay Pacific without engines, for which airline was paying separately per hour. Which airline would buy brand new B777 and then choose a blacklisted aircraft seat manufacturer to install seats with defective in-flight entertainment? Should alarm bells not have been raised when in 2005 PIA cancelled manufacturer recommended vendors along its network and appointed single supplier located in remote part of the UK only to end up the partial ban imposed by the EU in 2007 because of maintenance and safety issues? With no accountability, it only encouraged a corrupt political crony to appoint a single supplier for all spare parts based in Dubai resulting in half fleet being grounded. All this happened with the approval of BoD some of whom were also on CAA governing body and aware of leasing cost of comparative aircraft operated by private airlines. It is common knowledge that even sensitive recruitments, including pilots and engineers are being made in violation of merit and nepotism reigns supreme with whole families serving in airline, compromising flight safety.

I doubt whether any accountability would take place even after Interior Minister’s intervention and FIA’s probe, because it would expose mafia within bureaucracy, the political elite and their cronies in PIA and CAA, who have destroyed this airline.

Peshawar Gull Zaman