PM Shehbaz orders probe into viral PIA Paris flight ad

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into an ad post by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) that triggered widespread backlash on social media last week, it emerged on Tuesday.

The PIA posted the controversial post on its official X handle, celebrating the resumption of Europe flights after a four-year hiatus.

Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar informed the Senate about the premier’s decision.

In the X post, the national flag carrier shared an image of a plane heading towards the Eiffel Tower with the French flag appearing in the background. “Paris, we are coming today,” read the caption.

The social media post earned wholesale criticism online due to its resemblance to the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States. Nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

Addressing the parliament, Dar said: “The prime minister has directed [authorities] to investigate who conceived this ad. It is a stupidity.”

In addition to this, the deputy prime minister expressed concern over the caption of the post.

Taking to X, a netizen Omar Quraishi raised questions about the PIA’s creative agency.

Another asked: “Who at PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) thought this was a great creative to announce the resumption of their flights to Paris?”