What a contradiction, when on the one hand PIA pilots get tax-free allowances on grounds of Paris Artists Convention, and on the other hand the management wants to rehire retired pilots for utilisation beyond 60 years till the age of 65. Is the CAA aware that countries like France, Hungary and Italy impose restrictions on pilots to fly their country's own registered aircrafts beyond the age of 60 or 62 years.
This PPP government gets the cake for defying logic, sacrificing national interests and now flight safety of poor passengers, just because it wants to stand by its cronies. Why not extend the age for all PIA employees to 65 years and why not for everybody else. To hell with our youth, let them all wait for another 5 years and join the ranks of unemployed millions. After all, most of our elite have already planned to resettle abroad, having acquired nationalities and assets there.
They don't bother about this nation's future for they have no stakes in this country. The apathy of elected government has been vividly displayed by their response and priorities during the current floods. Is there a shortage of pilots in Pakistan? Definitely not; the ground realities like utilisation of PIA pilots and their aircraft utilisation prove it.
Does the government of Pakistan and its Defence Minister know that it is poor quality medical facilities and infrastructure, which forces the man of wealth to go abroad for his own medical treatment. I am sure the minister is aware of this, for he has himself sought such medical treatment abroad on his own expenses.
In America and Europe the sudden emergence of low-cost airlines led to a shortage of pilots and the age of utilisation was extended, but never beyond the national age of retirement. The national age of retirement is based on the existing medical health of its own people, their access to these facilities, availability of clean water, unadulterated food, average age of national mortality and the need to provide jobs to the younger generation.
Yet this blind haste in giving approval to rehire retired pilots by the minister, who thought it appropriate to go to France when millions have been dislocated by floods in Pakistan. There is no rocket science involved in training pilots to fly commercial aircraft. Please save the already dented credibility of CAA and PIA, instead of politicising the matter and make mockery of rules, ground realities and rationale.