An official correspondence of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Air marshal Arshad Malik, with top decision-makers in Islamabad revealed the issue of suspected pilots in PIA had emerged in 2018, and the airline forthwith grounded all pilots falling in this category.
Sources said Arshad Malik wrote a letter to top authorities including prime minister Imran Khan and informed them about the progress made by PIA on the issue of fake and dubious license holder pilot of PIA. According to The letter, PIA had initiated probe into the case of suspected pilots in 2018 and all information of suspected pilots including names were shared with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The issue of fake degrees and irregular practices in acquiring commercial pilot licenses was being probed since 2018 and PIA, despite knowing its probable outcome, shared names of suspected pilots with CAA, grounded all of them and withheld their salaries ”, the letter noted.
The letter also carried out stunning disclosure that Sindh High Court’s orders into the case resulted in release of salaries to the suspected pilots. The letter itself raised a plethora of questions for PTI decision-makers. First and foremost question which needs to be answered by nobody less than the prime minister as to why his government decided to wash a dirty linen of 2018 publically in 2020 and who is responsible of tarnishing the image of PIA besides causing it huge financial loss of around 40 billion as a result of ban of US, UK and European Union.
The proclamation revealing existence of suspected pilots in PIA took every Pakistani with a big surprise. No one, whosoever and whatsoever, could believe that national flag carrier PIA, has had suspected pilots. Needless to say the revelation opened-up a new Pandora box, raising many serious questions for the Aviation minister Khan Sarwar Khan who had announced at the issue of suspected PIA pilots at the floor of the parliament.
He also held press briefing more than one time in Islamabad and defended his action of making the issue of suspected pilots public but never responded key questions that led to devastation of PIA and defamed Pakistan. The most important question which is unanswered even today is when and how suspected pilots got jobs in PIA?. Another question haunting the Pakistan Tehrik Insaf (PTI) government why Sarwar Khan did not mention in his media briefings who was responsible in Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to award fake licenses to some individuals who subsequently got jobs in PIA. Many believe that By hiding the period when these suspected pilots made their entry into PIA, the aviation minister protected the real culprit behind this entire dirty game.