CAUGHT in the middle of a dispute between Shaheen Air International and the Civil Aviation Authority, scores of Pakistanis stranded in the Chinese port city of Guangzhou — many for over a week — have finally landed on home soil.

These passengers had to endure this tremendous inconvenience owing to a dispute that arose last month, when the CAA suspended SAI’s international operations, except its Haj flights, over non-payment of arrears of more than Rs1.5bn — despite the Sindh High Court’s order annulling the CAA’s decision. Taking note of media reports, the chief justice of Pakistan ordered that the stranded passengers be immediately repatriated. The CAA then granted the airline special permission to fly the passengers out of China, only to find that its aircraft was not airworthy. Rather than book a chartered flight through PIA, which it had earlier approached, SAI spent additional time repairing the faulty plane before finally dispatching it to recover the passengers.

Yet again, what should have been speedily resolved was only truly addressed once there was sufficient media spotlight on the issue, followed by the chief justice’s intervention. But this is not a sustainable solution — indeed, it reflects the dysfunction and casual cynicism pervasive in the public and private sectors, in which human lives are considered subservient to the bottom line.

That these marooned citizens were provided with food and accommodation during their protracted stay in a foreign land is mere sop compared to the stress of worrying about unforeseen expenses, lapsed visas and responsibilities back home. Though the Foreign Office stated it had been in touch with the passengers and was coordinating with the relevant bodies, it is often observed that consular services for oversees Pakistanis is patchy to say the least. It is shameful that, in the midst of their blame game, the CAA and SAI lost sight of the bigger picture — the innocent bystanders.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2018