Daily Times

Sir: This is in reference to recent incident in which two PIA Flight Stewards were caught in Paris on arrival with heroin and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Heroin smuggling abroad any PIA flight cannot take place without connivance of an organized gang and active participation of numerous agencies and individuals each paid to perform their specific role. How did the Heroin manage to enter airport undetected by various agencies assigned at airport? Were Sniffer Dogs placed to detect drugs?

There are two major players involved; namely the party or gang which receives smuggled heroin, which in this were based in Paris and the other the individuals who procured the narcotics in Pakistan and then handed it over for onward dispatch to its destination. It is revenues from sale of narcotics in Paris or Manchester which funds the whole system. The minor players are those working in security, customs, anti-narcotics squad and airline staff who serve as couriers for transporting the drug. The minor players are dispensable and arresting them alone without catching major dons involved is a cover-up and this would not stop this crime which has brought disgrace to Pakistan and national airline.

These two Flight Stewards would have been specifically assigned this duty together by cabin crew scheduling section. In incidences where drugs are concealed on board aircraft aircraft, the technical staff working in section which schedules aircrafts is also involved.

The individuals working in security, custom, Anti-Narcotics and airline staff are all pawns who are paid to perform specific assignments and are rarely key players. If Federal Government is really serious about clamping down, it must seek information from authorities in Paris, Manchester and London which seem to be favourite destinations, about confessional statement and interrogation of airline staff caught which will lead them to main player or Mafia Don in Pakistan who is behind this heinous trade. Failing which it would be merely an eye wash.

TARIQ ALI MALIK

Lahore

Published in Daily Times, March 17^th 2018.