LAHORE:
Following the crash of the A320 in Karachi in May 2020, former Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar, on the floor of the National Assembly (NA) claimed that over 262 pilot licenses were allegedly fake. All Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licensed pilots, technicians etc., working in foreign airlines were immediately grounded or sacked. Thousands of families endured hardships and embarrassment, while the credibility of our aviation industry suffered internationally.
Pakistan has yet to recover from this foolish and irresponsible statement by a PTI minister, and others who supported him. European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) authorities are still not satisfied with CAA briefings to reinstate flights by PIA and other Pakistani airlines. This should have been enough to jolt the federal government, CAA, PIA and all other state-owned corporations and members of the NA and Senate. Instead, a parliamentary committee headed by MNA Qadir Mandokhel ordered action against FIA for conducting investigations about fake degree holders working in PIA and CAA from 2008-2009. PIA Administration Rules clearly state that any employee who has submitted fake qualifications, birth certificate, domicile, etc or withheld any criminal record from them at the time of recruitment will be summarily dismissed without any benefits.
There is no dearth of educated and qualified individuals who should be employed instead of fake degree holders and criminals. Nobody, including parliamentarians, has any jurisdiction to violate the constitutional rights of qualified and educated citizens and instead recruit fake degree holders. No parliamentary committee has the right to regularise a gross and criminal irregularity i.e., a fake degree. It is ironic that PIA restored by Rafique Saigol and Nur Khan during the tenure of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, through recruitment on merit, is today going to suffer because of an irresponsible MNA from the same party.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2023.
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