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Dawn Editorials (16 September 2023)
Dawn Editorials (16 September 2023)
ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria CSS Institute)
DAWN Editorials: 16 September 2023, Saturday
Mayday
WHEN PIA cancelled several international and domestic flights recently, after grounding five of its
Airbus A320 jets because it did not have $100m to `immediately pay` its creditors, many
wondered how long taxpayers would have to continue to bail out the debt-ridden airline. A TV
channel quoted a PIA director as warning that the national carrier`s operations could be suspended
if emergency funds weren`t provided to pay arrears to creditors, aircraft lessors, fuel suppliers,
insurers, domestic and international airport operators and the IATA. With the company struggling
to secure funds, its HR department chief thought it fit to declare during his testimony before a
Senate panel that closure of operations and services would `happen only over our dead bodies`.
His emotional outburst shows the kind of opposition the new plan to privatise the bankrupt airline
is likely to face from both its unionised staff and executives with a vested interest in retaining the
company in the public sector in spite of its huge costs.
Meanwhile, the aviation ministry wants an immediate cash injection of Rs23bn, as well as the
suspension of duties, taxes and service charges to domestic agencies to pull PIA out of its money
troubles as Boeing and Airbus are on the verge of discontinuing the supply of spare parts. The
government has no choice but to accede to the demand in order to temporarily bail out the
company. However, PIA`s problems aren`t going to end with this injection. Sooner or later, it will
be in need of more cash. A report in this paper has rightly compared PIA to state-owned power
companies, pointing out that the airline serves less than 3pc of its citizens travelling by air but
consumes significant public funds. In contrast, the highly maligned power companies cater to
nearly 80pc of the population. It does not justify the losses of the power companies or delays in
their immediate disinvestment. Yet it does underline the reality that the government needs to put
its money where its mouth is when it is hard up.
PIA`s debt and liabilities have soared to Rs743bn, which exceeds the value of its total assets by five
times, according to the aviation ministry. Its liabilities are projected to spike to a whopping
Rs1.97tr and its annual losses to Rs259bn by 2030. There is no way the airline can be turned
around. Too many unsuccessful attempts have been made in the past. The airline is long dead as a
corporate entity and brand. Its expeditious privatisation is the only way to reduce the burden on
taxpayers and the government budget. Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq Kakar`s directions
to the relevant authorities to fasttrack PIA`s privatisation is an encouraging development.
However, it remains a rhetorical statement unless followed immediately by concrete actions.
Pakistan`s only wins at the Asia Cup against Nepal and Bangladesh have put Babar`s captaincy
into sharp focus. Pakistan have struggled in the middle overs while bowling and there have been
questions over all-rounder Shadab Khan`s value. The spinner bled runs during the Asia Cup but
Babar has persisted with him. Opener Fakhar Zaman seems out of touch and failed to provide
stability at the top of the order. There have been bright spots, however, most notably Iftikhar
Ahmed`s all-round contributions. A brutal assessment is required before the World Cup. Some
tweaks could see the team return to its winning ways.
Mariam Saqib is but the latest victim of a menace that has haunted our society for far too
long: stray bullets. A security guard, aiming to deter robbers, inadvertently sealed the
fate of the seven-year-old girl. We have been there before, with the strikingly similar
and equally tragic loss in 2018 of 10-yearold Amal Umer, and last year, of a nine-month-
old girl whose mother was travelling with her by rickshaw. These harrowing tales build
upon a series of incidents where lives are caught in the crossfire of misguided bullets,
epitomizing a crisis that has systematically been overlooked.