THIS is with reference to the report ‘Licence granted to operate budget airline’ (Sept 4) wherein a joint venture has been established to set up and operate a low-cost airline, initially, in Pakistan.

Such a joint venture is certainly welcome and appreciated at a time when Pakistan has lost its shine in the airline industry abroad and domestic services are inadequate.

But I do have concerns about naming the joint venture ‘Fly Jinnah’. It does not appear appropriate to use such a nomenclature for a commercial venture that has no association with the national government or its corporate and other relevant bodies.

One might refer to other entities using such names, like Jinnah or Allama Iqbal international airports. But drawing such parallels would be unfair because it is the government, not some commercial venture, using the names with due decorum.

Airports are public utility services meant for the community. The Quaid-i-Azam’s name is, and should be, sacred to the nation and it is incumbent upon its citizens to ensure its sanctity and respect. I am sure the management of the joint venture would have no intention at all to feel otherwise.

My understanding is that a law probably exists to prevent commercial usage of our leaders’ names, past or present, and it may have been checked by the appropriate authority in this case.

The Companies Act 2017 also provides guidance for selecting names to avoid giving an impression of exploitation. Nevertheless, it is my request that the joint venture partners should consider and review the name themselves. They can select any other catchy title for their brand.

Irfan Naqvi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2021