Sir: An over speeded air plane of PIA went off runway while landing, the other day. Last month the Apex court ordered verification of degrees of 24 pilots of national flag carrier. It was feared that some pilots serving the national airline might have fake degrees as was initially informed to supreme court. Compromising over the degrees of professional is a heinous crime and must be treated harshly. No need to mention here that the cases of heroin & mobile smuggling by air crew are common. Our country has a very poor history of accidents, be it road, rail, or air travel and the main reason is the callous attitude towards duty by drivers and pilots. Those who have the responsibility of carrying safely hundreds of passengers must shoulder it sensibly and with utmost care. A few months ago the wings of PIA plane clipped with another plane’s wings on runway in Canada. An evident evidence to show the level of skills of our pilots. Unfortunately, we lack professional mannerism and dedication towards our duty without which lives of innocent passengers will always remain at stake. IFTIKHAR MIRZA Islamabad Published in Daily Times, November 13th 2018.