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Thursday March 28, 2024

Dark clouds

By Kamila Hyat
May 25, 2017

The misfortunes of Pakistan International Airlines, which flies today with the darkest of clouds hanging over it is – in a microcosm – a reflection of the state of institutions and organisations everywhere in the country. The slump in PIA situation over the decades has of course been carefully documented and written about. Everyone appears to have an opinion on what to do with the national carrier that was once looked upon with pride, but has recently become embroiled in greater and greater scandal.

The extent of the crisis is such that the adviser to the prime minister has suggested to a Senate committee that it help the government in working towards wrapping up of the semi-autonomous organisation – an obviously difficult decision which the adviser believes can be made only with parliamentary support. He has argued that this decision would make it possible to work towards a future solution and the possible creation of a new entity managing air travel. Clearly the matter is open to debate. Before any major step is taken, it is however essential that we try to understand the reasons for PIA’s rapid downfall, especially since other organisations also suffer from a similar malaise.

The most frequently heard explanation for PIA’s state are the allegations of massive overstaffing brought about as a result of politicisation and nepotism by successive political parties. It is absolutely true that PIA had an absurd ration of about 400 employees to one aircraft compared to the aviation industry’s average of 200 employees. In terms of the expenditures incurred by the airline, the presence of a huge workforce does not appear to be the key factor. In terms of percentages, PIA spent the same amount on salaries and perks as other airlines. Its staff would then appear to be underpaid, but possibly makes up for this through the huge number of rackets run within the organisation and managed by the mafias at various levels that operate freely in all departments.

The inept management by the Air Force-dominated Civil Aviation Agency has also been a factor in some of the difficulties pointed out within PIA. This issue needs further discussion, so does the internal management of the airline itself. Recently advertisements have appeared in the national press seeking a Chief Executive Officer for PIA. It would take an immensely courageous person to accept this challenge in the current state of affairs.

What has happened to PIA is also a part of the general downslide witnessed in so many spheres within the country. The standards in civil service have gone down as is seen in the result of the Federal Public Service Commission examinations. The same is true for the police and the corporations supplying utilities to people as well as a wide range of other public and semi-autonomous organisations. It is easy to attribute this deterioration to corruption and political nepotism. Certainly these are factors. But there are other considerations as well. Compared to the 1950s, the general slide in work ethic and competence is alarming. At one time Pakistani pilots and technical advisers were sought out by other Asian countries. Today this is less and less true, in part because the best qualified individuals choose to leave the country whenever they can.

It can also be no coincidence that none of Pakistan’s universities ranked among even the top 100 institutions in Asia. Universities in Bangladesh and inevitably India, however, have moved well ahead. This failure in the education system – despite the spending on higher education put in place during the Musharraf era when the Higher Education Commission was established – is a key factor in our struggle to produce specialists of any quality.

And of course if we look at the issue logically, the problems of higher education begin far lower down the ladder with the decline in the public school sector and the low quality of education offered at the many private schools that have been set up essentially as businesses. Unless there are vast improvements in the standards of primary and secondary education there can be little hope of our universities producing high academic standards.

Political parties and their mismanagement of governance is often blamed for all our country’s ills. Again, there is some truth in this. We must however remember that for most of our nearly 70-year history, military dictatorships have held power. It is then rather ironic that we hear comments from those aligned with the military about how they cannot run all matters of the state. These comments imply that civilian governments are unable to do so. Military leaderships have quite obviously not succeeded either and in so many ways created the problems that exist today.

It is true that we may have made small improvements in certain specific areas. The internet has grown rapidly as have the services provided over it. But this cannot compensate for the fact that we have a virtual collapse in governance. The rate of stunting among Pakistani children standing at over 50 percent has been described by the Unicef and other global leaders in human development as nothing short of a national crisis. The same is true of population growth – which within 50 years, threatens to leave us entirely crippled – as well as the management of our vital national resources, particularly water.

These gigantic failures shape the entire structure of our country. Given that they exist, it is perhaps inevitable that deformities should have handicapped institutions including PIA, the Pakistan Railways and many others which once stood out as symbols of excellence. A holistic approach to the problem then needs to be taken. It is pointless to look at one small area without taking in the entire unified picture. We cannot amend the flaws within PIA without addressing those that can be found within our entire system.

Addressing these problems seems like a massive task. It is one, however, we cannot neglect any longer. We need to invest in human resources by looking at the way in which we allocate funds and spend our money. Until the situation of people improves and the most vital services including education are made available to them, there can be little hope of broader change. This is of course a long-term solution to the problems we face. Shortcuts will need to be taken. We no longer have the luxury of time. The state as a whole is too close to collapse. The rule of law is falling apart as we can see in the incidents of mob madness reported from time to time in the media. Until the basic setup is rebuilt along stronger lines, we will continue to suffer the multitude of difficulties which confront us today.

There have been some instances in which institutions have been made more efficient than before. The banking sector is an example of this as older policies have been reversed. But the same formulas cannot apply in every case. It is the overall management of the nation that we need to look at and bring into focus if any meaningful differences are to be made. The ailments which plague PIA exist in many other places as well. Just as is true of any virus, they will need to be eliminated wherever they exist. This is important if a safer, sounder environment is to be created within which organisations can operate effectively and with greater efficiency.

 

The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.

Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com