Daily Times

Imagine this: flying at a cruising altitude of 38000 feet, going through dinner, anticipating a pleasant journey ahead and still having a niggling thought in the back of your head saying, “I wonder if the pilot is qualified to fly this plane”! From now, this is what will happen to any passenger travelling in an aircraft piloted by a Pakistani!

This after Pakistani Aviation Minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, announced in parliament that the credentials of 262 pilots in the country are dubious. Whether it was right to make this information public is debateable. Thinking of the ramifications, it may have been better to tackle this internally and without much fanfare. Equally, keeping this information hidden while rectifying the situation within may have not come to much. There are arguments both ways. It seems that the Imran Khan government, in the noble endeavour to be transparent and the devious effort to blame previous governments albeit correctly, thought that brashness was the better part of valour! The result has been something that the leadership was not expecting. From US to UK to the Far East, there have been consequences in some measure! Moreover, naming this scandal ‘fake licenses’ is a disservice. The licenses are not fake but authentic though obtained dubiously from the actual authority that provides them! To that end, almost all blame lies with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). But is it that easy to lay this at someone’s doorstep? Whether CAA or PIA? In the short term – yes. In the long term – no. Consider.

The Pakistani CAA – the first party in the case – is tasked with regulating air travel in Pakistan and maintaining the country’s air space. Ensuring proper certification of pilots is one of the biggest pillars of the CAA and obtaining licenses using doubtful means and documentation could not have happened without collusion from within the CAA. That is why Ghulam Sarwar Khan himself said that some CAA staff from the licensing, training and administration departments is to be fired. The second claimant is the airline industry. PIA, and other local carriers, are also in the limelight but should only shoulder a fraction of the blame because the only thing they could do was to be pro-active and highlight inept – yet licensed – pilots back to the CAA. What about successive governments that have used institutions as their local fiefdoms? To shower patronage and jobs at their voting public, the political class has even schooled the CAA in the art of ‘making a quick buck’! Therefore, previous governments make the third leg of this saga. Consequently, in the short term, the mess can be laid at the door of previous governments, CAA and local airlines – and in that order!

In the long term, there needs to be a policy shift at a broader level. Lest we forget – baseline pieces in this series have defined policy as an overarching and galvanising vision of the future end state

The story doesn’t end there. In the long term, there needs to be a policy shift at a broader level. Lest we forget – baseline pieces in this series have defined policy as an overarching and galvanising vision of the future end state. Since Imran Khan came to power, previous op-eds have recommended that this overarching policy of the PTI government must be that of creating visible equality amongst its citizens and within the system itself! In one word – EQUALITY! It will take time and it is not easy especially in a system steeped in inequality and excessive patronage, resulting in corruption. This writer knows of individuals who have worked hard and studied even harder day-in and day-out to clear all the exams for Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and alongside completed all the flying hours needed. But who weren’t treated equally because they were not willing to ‘grease’ the machinery that manages pilots for commercial aviation! Rest assured that the majority of the pilots are indeed honest, truthful and professional but unfortunately, they will also pay the price because of the wanton acts of omission by a small minority!

History is replete with at-least three incredibly useful instances where the policy of equality was the outstanding differentiator between a successful society and a failed one. Firstly, an example that a day doesn’t goes by without Imran Khan quoting it on one forum or the other. After the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) entered Medina, he successfully created a tolerant and multi-cultural society for all faiths by supporting a policy of equality among the population of the city. This was keenly reflected in his last sermon as well where he said, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also, a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action”. Secondly, the founding fathers put this in the American declaration of independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Thirdly, the bedrock policy of the French republic is Liberté, égalité, fraternité – French for liberty, equality, fraternity. Thus, one need not look far to find inspiration and the assurance that the policy of equality must be made the overarching vision to rid the country of physical manifestations of inequality, such as reflected in this latest scandal.

The PTI governments harks about meritocracy. It is about time it put money where its mouth is! If not, then what next? Doctors, engineers, scientists – prepare to be shown the door if you have gained accreditations from the land of the pure!

The writer is Director Programmes for an international ICT organization based in the UK