If only this government or its predecessors had political will to enforce financial and administrative discipline in PIA, the national asset would not be in such a deep financial mess. External auditors are now declaring it technically insolvent. It baffles the imagination that how could successive governments, turn a blind eye, while this airline was systematically decimated, its human resources destroyed by political recruitment and its revenues pilfered.
The PPP led coalition had political will, but for all the wrong reasons, to handover PIA to its incompetent corrupt cronies, who went on a rampage, negotiating controversial procurement contracts, while marketing executives deliberately relaxed built-in firewalls of computerized Revenue Management System to allow few favorite travel agents to make great profits.
Media outcry, public opinion and judicial intervention did not deter them to overburden this already employee surplus airline from recruiting unqualified politically recommended recruits, including those with fake degrees, while at the same time terminating services of scores of regular permanent employees in July 2008, to oblige their favorites.
How long can PIA endure this pilferage? Will this government intervene to save PIA, or allow it to be destroyed by corrupt mediocrity?
ABRAR KHOSA, Faisalabad, December 18.