Sympathising with the fraudulent?

The Senate is miffed by the fact that Pakistan International Airlines has sacked dozens of employees for possession of fake degrees. Senator Mushahidullah Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) called it a ‘drastic action’ and suggested that they are only demoted, while also calling for those that hired them to be taken to task. The standing committee on aviation also appeared to sympathise with employees who were being ‘harassed’ to prove their education credentials were authentic.

Using a fake degree to get a job is an act of fraud, plain and simple. The victims of such fraud are the employer, other job applicants, and customers of the employer. It appears that Senator Mushahidullah and the rest of the committee have forgotten that as a lawmaking body, their sympathies should be with victims. In the past, they have ‘worried’ about what would become of the families of the fake degree holders if the breadwinners are fired. What do they think is becoming of the honest, qualified applicants who did not get the job because they were victims of this fraud?

Yes, there should be an inquiry into whether or not senior PIA staffers, and politicians, were involved in the inductions of unqualified people, but that does not mean the unqualified people deserve any form of lenient treatment. A criminal act was conducted, and not only were they party to the crime, but also the biggest beneficiaries. Flying a plane requires a qualified hand. How would these politicians feel about getting open heart surgery under the deft hand of a quack?

Meanwhile, despite PIA already having burnt through around Rs30 billion in taxpayer bailout money since the PTI government took charge, it wants more for new planes and whatnot to help it ‘return to its former glory’. PIA has been on the verge of such a ‘return’ for longer than most Pakistanis have been alive. We need to give up the belief that this lame horse can recover and win the Kentucky Derby. Those who back state ownership of PIA call it a national icon. Or is bankruptcy really the iconic image we want for Pakistan?

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.