It’s time somebody wrote a book on S K Ali of PIA

Old-timers in PIA still chuckle when they hear someone mention S K Ali. He was an icon, friendly and humorous. He is no longer in the land of the living. But while in service as station manager at Karachi airport, he managed to get the national flag carrier out of many tricky scrapes and situations that could have caused a riot or provoked a diplomatic incident. He was just an ordinary bloke, short and squat. He wasn’t specially endowed in a part of the body that ladies in polite company don’t talk about. Nor was he a great poet or ghazal singer. What he was, was a problem-solver. And he applied his gift with a flair that left others spellbound. The late Mr Enver Jamall, the last professional chief executive of PIA, and a highly dignified individual, had a chapter on this remarkable man in his autobiography, I Remember. It was called “S K Ali — The one and only”, an apt title for this incredible human being. I don’t think there will ever be another person like him in this country. Mr Jamall reproduced some of his exploits. My research added a few more to the list.

The most potentially volatile episode was the one when a group of pilgrims were gathered in the departure lounge waiting to fly to Saudi Arabia, and the aircraft wasn’t taking off due to a technical fault. The pilgrims were restless. A pir who was travelling ordered his followers to burn the aircraft. News travelled fast. The traffic staff panicked. Ali, who was off-duty, was summoned. He arrived and went straight to the counter… As it was time for the Maghreb prayer he read the azaan and started to recite the prayer. The pir and his followers had no option but to follow. And then he told the congregation all about the glories of Allah. “Not a sparrow flies, nor a leaf falls to the ground unless Allah wills it. So how can a huge aircraft fly without the will of Allah?” No one in the lounge could argue with that.

Then there was the time when a high powered Nigerian delegation had arrived in Karachi and was supposed to take a connecting flight to Islamabad. There was a mix-up in reservations and the delegation missed its flight. Ali arrived on the scene and took charge. While he sized up the situation, he discovered that there was also a Fokker flight which had Islamabad as its final destination. Of course, there were a few stops on the way. Striding up to the leader of the delegation Ali informed him that he had obtained special permission from the higher management to put the delegation on a flight from which they could view a number of Pakistani cities on the way. He received profound thanks for his consideration.



Then there was the time when Ali approached a customs officer and asked if he could look after a passenger who was a relative and was carrying six pieces of luggage. The officer said, “Why should I help you when you haven’t sent me any PIA calendars this year?” Ali promised to do the needful as soon as he got back to his office. Later in the afternoon an enraged customs officer yelled over the telephone, “You lousy so and so, you have sent me a dozen of last year’s calendars.”

There was also the one when the cargo staff reported that 20 monkeys had broken out of a cage and were running all over the airport. When the managing director called him he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sir, what am I to do when there are 19 males and one female?”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2015.

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