Ghulam Sarwar to be investigated for triggering PIA downfall

The Federal Government has been deliberating on initiating an inquiry against former Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan for his infamous remarks on the fake licenses of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilots. His comments reportedly cost the national flag carrier a four-year ban in Europe and financial woes.

On June 24, 2020, the then aviation minister, while speaking in the National Assembly, alleged that out of 860 pilots, 262 had manipulated their professional exam results by impersonation.

“They [262 PIA pilots] were issued fake degrees and fake licenses. Pilots lack flying experience,” Sarwar alleged, adding that the pilots were recruited on the basis of patronage.

The minister also blamed the pilots' “overconfidence and lack of focus” for the PIA’s Karachi crash.

“The pilots were discussing corona throughout the flight. They were not focused. They talked about corona [...] their families were affected. When the control tower asked him to decrease the plane's height, the pilot said, 'I'll manage'. There was overconfidence,” he added.

The minister then repeated these claims in two press conferences held over the next few days.

“A total of 28 pilots with fake licenses have already been identified. Departmental inquiries were completed against them a year ago. Nine out of these 28 pilots confessed to having fake degrees before the inquiry committee. The federal cabinet will revoke their licences in its upcoming meeting. Five licensing department officials involved in the scam have also been suspended (from service). In the past few years, 648 PIA employees have been fired because of fake degrees,” Sarwar said.

According to media reports, the law ministry has been instructed to brief the cabinet in an upcoming meeting on legal options regarding Sarwar’s controversial remarks on PIA’s pilots.

Sarwar made these allegations a month after the PIA plane crashed into a residential area near Model Colony in Karachi's Malir neighbourhood.

On May 22, 2020, the tragic crash of PIA flight PK-8303 in Karachi killed around 97 people on board.

The preliminary investigation report prepared by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board stated that the cause of the crash was not a malfunction in the plane but a result of negligence of the pilots and air traffic controllers.

However, days after Sarwar's remarks, PIA was banned from flying to the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US).

Following the lifting of the ban by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in November 2024, PIA once again took to the skies of Europe on January 10 after the four-year ban.