Random thoughts
PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) and PAL (Pakistan Airways Limited) have often been in the news lately due to the strikes by PIA staff. We even saw some of these strikers being projected as heroes by the media. It has become common practice with all our TV stations to relay any nasty or tragic current event over and over again the whole day long. It almost seems like the world has stopped at that particular event.
We underwent similar treatment in the past when we were forced to listen to Altaf Hussain’s addresses from London the whole day long. Now the media has projected Capt Sohail Baloch as a hero, a saviour of the exploited poor lot at PIA. Most unfortunately, it even cost some people their lives with, as usual, the leaders not receiving so much as a scratch. This is the way things are played out here – incite the people but remain safe yourself.
These strikes not only caused huge losses to PIA, but also caused tremendous inconvenience to thousands of local passengers, many devotees performing Umra and many who were on holiday in Pakistan and were, subsequently, unable to report back on duty in time.
There were reports of quite a few people having lost their jobs because of this, and of some who lost valuable opportunities because they could not join new jobs and thus lost them. Many students were also stranded and valuable time was wasted. It was a most callous and ill considerate step by the PIA staff. The government was also at fault for ignoring impending problems and not trying to find quick solutions for them.
In one of my columns I had suggested having a law passed by the National Assembly banning all strikes. Both the aggrieved party and the government should, in cases of litigation, be bound by the arbitration of a high court or a Supreme Court judge, whatever the case may be. Sweden is an example of such a system and it has worked well for them.
A few days ago, while travelling from Karachi to Islamabad, a well-dressed gentleman was sitting next to me. We got talking about PIA, its golden days, then the worst period and lately the substantial improvement in facilities and punctuality and the increase in the number of aircraft. The gentleman in question seemed very knowledgeable. Just before we landed, he introduced himself as Capt Shujaat Azeem, special assistant to the prime minister on civil aviation. He briefly mentioned all the improvements initiated by the government.
Over the past I have had good contact with almost all of the chiefs of PIA and have been informed about their performance. In the past it was an excellent airline, but sycophancy and political interference turned it into a dumping ground for favourites and it became loaded with excess baggage. The current strikes have resulted from this dismal situation. Previously I had also mentioned how strikes destroyed major British industries like shipping, aircraft and automobile. PIA has the highest aircraft/manpower ratio of all airlines.
Coming back to what the government has done for PIA over the past two years. More than 300 fake degree-holders have been removed from service. Through CAA, PIA obtained European ANO-145 and ANO-147 Safety Measurement Certificates. They have also acquired the services of the former training director of Lufthansa to better train their staff. They had only one training centre (of which my class-fellow and dear friend, Mehdi Hassan, a UK trained specialist, was the principal), but now they have centres in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Swat, Quetta, Nawabshah, Multan, Faisalabad and Sukkur.
The Airport Security Force (ASF) has more than 9,000 highly trained personnel. At one time my former, very competent colleague and KRL DG Security, Brig Satti, was its DG. It is currently lead by a major general for better coordination and efficiency. PIA has also established northern and southern commands. They have deployed armoured personnel carriers at all airports to deal with emergencies. They have also closed down many non-profit-making stations abroad, thus saving a huge amount of money. The amir of Qatar recently donated eight beautiful, spacious passenger buses.
Most noticeable is the recent improvement in punctuality. They have achieved almost 85 percent punctuality rate, putting them slightly behind Qatar Airways, the same as Emirates Airlines and better than Saudi Airlines, Air India and Gulf Airways. Sometimes they even manage to reach their destination ahead of time, as happened to me the other day when I was returning to Islamabad from Lahore. It is very irritating to sometimes see the crew just standing around with the doors of the plane still open when the departure time has already passed. Sometimes, planes taxi to the runway and then have to wait there for many minutes.
These things need improvement. Their Boeing 777s have been provided with excellent, comfortable seats as they fly long distances and often carry foreigners. The current PIA fleet strength has been increased from 18 to 44, thus substantially improving their manpower/aircraft ratio. If the staff does not indulge in unnecessary, harmful strikes, PIA could once again be turned into a profit-making organisation.
Airports have also been overhauled and given a new look. In some airports, new aero-bridges (tunnels) have been put. New, all-weather navigation systems are in place and more modern facilities provided at most airports. I believe, and sincerely hope, that with the efforts put in by the prime minister and his Special Assistant, Capt Shujaat Azeem, we will soon be flying a great airline once again. Any more strikes and Pakistan Airways Limited will take over, causing many jobs to be lost.
Tailpiece: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has again won an Oscar by showcasing one of our ugly faces – honour killings. Her previous award was for her film on acid victims. One cannot help but wonder what the reaction of the selection committee would be if she showed the thousands of mutilated bodies and handicapped men, women and children resulting from US drone attacks in Pakistan. Would that win her an award?
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khangmail.com