Bad decisions

At a time when the commercial aviation and hospitality business is passing through its worst crisis, and PIA unfortunately had a fatal crash, with over 97 fatalities, there was absolutely no need to rake the hornet’s nest by publicly announcing the alleged fake pilot licenses.

The focus should have been on investigating the crash by an independent investigation committee, not one mired in controversies. As for the Airbus team, their sole interest would be to safeguard their product. It was only after the whole world grounded Boeing 737 Max 800 did Boeing Company accept their mistake. PIA and CAA must be revamped and cleansed of the rot within. Former PIA Chairman Admiral Nur Khan decided to invest in the hospitality business when its subsidiary PIAIL acquired Hotel Roosevelt in 1978 on 20-year long lease with the option to purchase. After a legal battle, following the unethical role of former MD PIA Investment, who attempted to pay almost double the agreed price in 1999, was revoked by a US judge in 2000, the federal government became the exclusive owner of the prime real estate valued today at $1.4 billion. The decision to sell Hotel Roosevelt, or a joint venture, when the hotel industry especially in New York is at rock bottom, raises many eyebrows.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore