It seems the PML-N government always has someone else lined up to shoulder the blame for its economic follies. First it was the acting State Bank governor who was accused of depreciating — and rightfully so, we might add — the Pakistani Rupee. Now it is the turn of the free market. For Adviser to the Prime Minister on Aviation has seen fit to charge the PIA ‘open skies’ policy with lying at the heart of the national carrier’s ills. This was a policy adopted back in the early 1990s and allowed foreign airlines, particularly Middle Eastern carriers, to make multiple flights to and from various Pakistani cities. This in effect was a deregulation of Pakistan’s aviation sector and was aimed at boosting competitiveness within the industry. The idea being that this would, in turn, make PIA more efficient since it would be forced to compete with foreign airlines for passengers. Twenty years on and PIA is still in the same derelict state and Pakistan’s equivalent of the champions of the free market-Nawaz and Co — are blaming basic economic theory for the national carrier’s abysmal economic performance. Bluntly put, the reasoning offered by the PM’s adviser is off-kilter. And then some. PIA has failed to perform to its potential not because of competition from other airlines — but because of its own mismanagement. Flights are always delayed and the administrative wing of the airline is grossly overstaffed. Meaning that PIA suffers from hierarchal dysfunction and red tape causing problems for passengers and leading to substantial losses in revenue for the carrier. There is no denying that successful airlines such as Emirates have eaten into PIA’s share of passenger revenue. But this is mostly for international travel, and PIA is most notorious for its domestic flight delays. Thus, we cannot simply blame other airlines — especially those that have done well under the tenets of the free market — for our own struggles. We must, instead, look at the internal deficiencies in PIA and focus on addressing prevailing issues from within. The incumbent government must also seriously re-evaluate its own economic ideology and policies. No one will be duped by artificial growth numbers. Concrete measures are what matter.* Published in Daily Times, July 22nd , 2017.