PIA was the first airline in Asia to fly four-engine jets: the B-707. East and West Pakistan were not only held together but flourished.

India could not stop Pakistan from using declared international airways but lost no opportunity to close airspaces to Pakistani aircraft. Putting a spanner in our airline industry was their obsession.

In 1965, the Indian army was poised on our scantily protected Punjab border. Pakistani aircraft were banned and our friends, the United States, imposed a crippling arms embargo on us. We were left without even the direly needed ammunition and supplies.

PIA came to the forefront. Five B-707s were in the air night and day from Ankara, Istanbul and Tehran. Indian space restrictions and the arms embargo were brought to nothing.

Again, long before the 1971 conflict began, Indian airspace was closed to Pakistan. Our B-707s and 720s had to fly around the Indian peninsula. Evading Indian long range guns and fighter aircraft from Indian shores; and ground fire from the ‘Mukti Bahini’ at the Dhaka runway, was the norm.

Alas! What India could not do in 70 years was done overnight by just one speech, right after the unfortunate PK-8303 accident. Our learned aviation minister cleansed the ‘so-called’ fake licences and PIA stands banned from Europe and the US.

Pakistani pilots have been grounded and disgraced all over the world. Our aviation industry has gone to the dogs. The baby has been thrown out of the window with the bathtub.

It is too late for amends. Not keeping distance between the foot and the mouth has created havoc.

Capt Afaq Rizvi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2020