THE Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra — a symbol of excellence in aviation — is situated 70km from Islamabad near Attock city. It houses four aviation factories and has around 10,000 employees. The chairman of the PAC Board is a serving air marshal whereas the factories are headed by their respective managing directors, selected on merit by Pakistan Air Force.

The products of these factories include JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft, K-8 jet trainers, Mushshak fixed gear basic trainer aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, avionics equipment, drop tanks, canopies, aviation hardware, harnesses, rubber parts, machining products etc.

Compared to PAC Kamra we have many state-owned enterprises (SOEs) like Pakistan Steel Mills, PIA, railways, etc., which are contemptuously called white elephants and incurring huge losses.

If we compare PAC with these loss-making organisations, a few questions arise: Why are SOEs incurring losses and the PAC making profit? When there is talk of privatising these SOEs, their workers protest. For how long will the state continue to pay for loss-making entities? If the state wants to turn around the SOEs why doesn’t it appoint a few good men?

Air-Cdre (r) Azfar A. Khan

Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2016