PK 7644 Umra flight fiasco

PIA and its Board of Directors need to do some serious self-assessment of the way the airline is being run. The most recent gaffe involving the over 18 hours of delay at Jeddah, of poor Umra passengers eager to return home for Eid, by PK7644 is a classic depiction of the malaise that afflicts the airline.
The airline management must exhibit some modicum of propriety by avoiding political influences and personal likes or dislikes to affect every action and decision of theirs. PIA's computerised passenger check-in system is designed not to issue boarding cards in duplicate or over and above the aircraft seating capacity, unless the check-in traffic staff over-rides the computer by manual insertion, or in case if the staff is incompetent and intentionally resorts to manually issuing boarding cards. In the case of Pk 7644, 15 duplicate boarding cards were issued at Jeddah, which is a very serious breach of security and safety.
This led to a delay involving Jeddah security. Such an incident is not likely to occur if staff deputed for posting is chosen on merit and is familiar with handling a computerised check-in system.
The fact that there has been a series of such incidents following the incident of a stowaway PIA passenger, who managed to travel all the way to Toronto without a ticket on PK781 of 1st August 2008, puts into question the way the airline is managing its affairs, especially its traffic department. Senior Traffic officials working in the airline have been sidelined or sent into the surplus pool and the department is being run by novices and those who through sycophancy have managed to win positions, which they previously could never achieve through merit. This tendency of the management to treat seniors with contempt has eroded the airline's work ethics. Every department in PIA is being stuffed with incompetence, by a management that derives its strength from its political benefactors. In the process, PIA is becoming a white elephant and a burden for the exchequer.
The political government has to evaluate its own priorities. Islamabad needs to cautiously reconsider why things have gone so bad with PIA. When political considerations, favouritism and nepotism become key factors for appointments, promotions and foreign postings, than competence, security and safety of operations are the first casualty. PIA cannot afford this luxury, given its bleak financial crisis, the security environment within the country and the way the world perceives us.