Clear skies

The UK has finally removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, clearing the way for Pakistani airlines to once again apply for permission to operate flights to Britain. This welcome news follows the earlier decision by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to lift its four-year ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), a move that should mark a moment of relief for the country. But while PIA and Pakistani aviation may be able to chart a new course, the shameful episode that led to this global embarrassment still remains unresolved. And it must not be forgotten. The chain of events that triggered Pakistan’s isolation from major international aviation markets was set off by a single, irresponsible statement. In 2020, former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, in a moment of performative outrage, claimed that a significant number of Pakistani pilots were flying on “fake licences”. He made this statement in parliament shortly after the tragic PIA crash in Karachi. What he presented as a whistleblower’s expose turned out to be based on rumour and hearsay. There was no verified list, no due process and no regard for the consequences. His words had a catastrophic domino effect: Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) lost global credibility; insurance and operational costs soared; hundreds of Pakistani pilots lost their jobs or were suspended; and the national flag carrier lost more than Rs200 billion as it was banned from flying to Europe, the UK and the US.

Sarwar’s recklessness has been called a political misstep. While it certainly was that, it was also an act that inflicted economic, professional and reputational damage on the country. Yet to this day, he has not been held accountable. No apology has been offered. No explanation has been provided. And no legal action has been taken. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has rightly called Sarwar’s statement a “criminal act against the state”. Reports suggest that earlier this year, the government chose not to pursue legal action against Sarwar to avoid ‘international scrutiny’. One is not sure how that works but this should not have been brushed aside as mere political theatre. This in fact is a textbook case of why accountability in Pakistan is often selective, conveniently ignored when it involves individuals who have returned to political shadows or are no longer deemed a threat.

When the former aviation minister’s statement backfired, the PTI – which had been in government when he made it – quietly walked away from its earlier defence of him. The previous PDM government too made no effort to ensure accountability. The Pakistani people deserve to know what really happened in 2020. Who prepared the list of pilots? Was it verified? Why was the crash report politicised? What were the institutional failures that allowed such a damaging statement to be made without evidence? Transparency demands that these questions be answered. The lifting of the UK and EU bans may help PIA regain some of its lost ground. But some of these questions need to be answered too.