Daily Times

Things happen for a reason. Sometimes, for a good reason, other times, for a bad reason. Yet sometimes, they happen for an ugly reason. Reason that is beyond logic, common sense and comprehension. Reason that any sane mind would find hard to believe. Though, not a new phenomenon in our history, we tend to move on after the initial hue and cry. Most of the time, such things are either pushed under the carpet; or overshadowed by newer ones. No critical examination and rare or superficial corrective action normally follow. The recent CAA-PIA fake flying license scandal is a case in point, which has resulted in disastrous consequences not only for the already-ailing airline but for the whole nation. Prospects of recovery are not there, at least shortly.

So, what led to this mess? Just less than two months ago, the nation was struck by the tragic crash of PK 8303. The pain had hardly started healing when the fake license revelation added insult to the injury. The bereaved relatives of the victims and the others feeling the agony, while looking for closure, were posed with tough questions. Instead of moving on, they will find themselves embroiled in this quagmire for a long time. This happened once the Federal Aviation Minister, in a rather explosive announcement, declared on the Parliament floor that around 262 pilots employed in various airlines were having fake licenses.

How could that be? This revelation, the place, and its delivery led to an impression as if around 40 per cent of pilots flying our planes are not qualified to fly aircraft. The list includes the alleged names for both CPL and ATPL, in nearly 50-50 ratio. As if one day they were driving cars or riding bikes and on the next day, they paid to get the licenses and began flying planes. The mind rushes to Frank Abagnale (played by Leonardo Di Caprio) in Hollywood crime thriller “Up in the Air,” faking as an airline pilot or “Mike Ross” faking a Harvard lawyer in the TV Series “Suits.”

Some suggest that the tussle between ex-Airforce employees and PALPA resulted in an attempt to tarnish the image of the pilot community

The CAA is the license issuing authority for all civil aviation flying licenses (CPL/ATPL). PIA, which has its wrongs and odds, is wrongly blamed for employing fake license holders, even if they are there. PIA, and any other airline, follows a generally similar recruitment mechanism. The first and non-negotiable requirement for every candidate is the possession of a flying qualification (CPL), which he obtains by undergoing a basic flying course at a flying club; flying aircraft for a specified number of flying hours (200), both supervised and solo. Passing an eight-part exam is a prerequisite, alongside specified flying hours, to obtain a CPL. Without the CPL, a candidate cannot apply for a pilot job at PIA, or anywhere else. Likewise, ATPL is granted upon completing 1500 flying hours on two-engine jets and is a mandatory requirement for the captaincy of the aircraft by senior pilots. That is also granted after a pilot appears in an eight-part exam and qualifies it, alongside the specified flying hours. PIA has nothing to do with the granting of both the licenses.

The problem, therefore, ironically lies with the CAA – whose mother body is the Aviation Division, led by the honourable Minister himself. Over time, the CAA compiled a list of pilots, who were granted licenses by CAA, but a cross-check with their registered dates of exams indicated that those pilots were either out of the country, city or otherwise not available on those dates. While there may be some truth to it, this is a blanket allegation because many such pilots may have made themselves available for the exams before or after the flights on those dates. In any case, no direct evidence is provided. All evidence is circumstantial and debatable. This list was reportedly compiled over the past one to two years and included over 80 pilots employed by the PIA. The officials at CAA allegedly took bribes, or someone else took exams for those pilots who did not choose to appear. No CCTV footage, paper record, signed exam sheets or any other form of evidence are available or presented. Even if it happened, the enabling environment for such practices was provided by the loopholes in the system enforced by the regulator (CAA) itself. Putting their own house in order should have been the first of the things.

In Pakistan, hardly anyone appears for the driving test at the motor license issuing office, and these licenses are normally granted for a small fee in addition to the paperwork. Our national culture has a high tolerance for shortcuts, bypassing rules, and neglecting procedures. Many of us associate pride with such practices. The same happened in the case of the flying licenses. This does not mean that the PIA or the pilots were to be exclusively blamed for getting the licenses sans exams. This also does not acquit those few pilots who might have chosen the shortcut path; however, the onus of the responsibility for the grant of such licenses rests on CAA’s shoulders. Nevertheless, this does not imply that the PIA and other airlines employed car or truck drivers as aircraft pilots because they obtained fake licenses!

The insider talk among the pilot community suggests that the issue of crosschecking of the licenses is not new. It was already under investigation for some time, though at a lower tone and pace. Some suggest that the tussle between ex-Airforce employees and PALPA resulted in an attempt to tarnish the image of the pilot community. Others contend that the ex-PAF employee’s mafia wanted to get more of their own at the influential posts and as direct-entry pilots; resisted by PALPA. Yet others narrate that the Aviation Minister, in a naive attempt to alleviate the pressure faced due to the recent crash, tried to blame PIA pilots and substantiated it by exposing the list of the pilots whose licenses were questionable – not because they were not qualified; but because they may not have appeared in a few parts of the CAA-conducted-eight-part exam. What he may not have known or realised is that the CAA, his baby, was primarily responsible for it, not the airline or the pilots. While there may be some truth to such allegations, the pressing questions here are: Even if this were the case, why such pilots could not have been fired through an internal inquiry? Where is the evidence? What was the need of publicly declaring the list on the floor of the national assembly? Why did any responsible person not think about the consequences of going down that road? Why, ironically, the country’s Aviation Minister dug the grave of the national carrier right in the middle of the Parliament’s floor? Why the supreme national interest was sacrificed by those who were pledged to guard it?

The strict safety standards associated with the commercial flying industry dictate that no standard for determining the currency and proficiency of the flight crew is compromised. A system of checks and balances is implemented to ensure so. The fake license scandal is a failure of the check and balance system. The loopholes available in the CAA-made and run systems are responsible for such a failure. While such failures may have acceptability at home, not many international institutions would tolerate even the minutest of the lapses. Moreover, it is a breach of trust, not only by the CAA but also by the pilots who may have obtained licenses without exams. But once again, such a trust is only maintainable across cultures, which stress high levels of professionalism and self-accountability. Unfortunately, we lack both.

The systematic erosion of our national institutions especially over the past three decades has caused a steep decline in our professional and moralistic values. Corruption, nepotism, disregard for rules and procedures have found their way into our very essence, sadly so. What else to expect? The consequences of this episode are visible. The already cash-strapped airline and the affiliated Pakistani institutions have lost all credibility across the globe. Despite the contradictory statements being issued by the Aviation Ministry now, the damage has already been done. The loss to the national exchequer is huge. As if we had few economic and credibility problems already, this fiasco has made Pakistan and its passport a laughing stock for as long as the people would remember. The road to recovery is too long.

Traditionally, many of my countrymen will encapsulate the arguments and answers to these questions by consigning them into the domain of external conspiracies, machinations of anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam lobbies, and fourth-gen warfare waged against Pakistan by its perpetual enemies. I find this affair among those ugly things lacking sanity and reason. It is a gloomy tale of eroded national culture, battered institutions, incompetence, lack of vision, and wrong prioritisation of personal and organisational interests over public and national interest.

The writer is a casual contributor and commercial aviation enthusiast