IN its glory days, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was instrumental in setting up several airlines abroad. It was in the 1980s that it helped lay the foundation of what is today one of the world’s biggest airlines; Emirates. PIA also contributed enormously in developing critical human resources in aviation within the country — pilots, maintenance engineers, operational engineers, crew trainers, safety managers, schedulers and other technical personnel. It is some twist of fate that the new owners of the airline, after its privatisation, are now said to have selected a foreign national to lead the airline and resurrect it.

According to media reports, a former head of Ethiopian Airlines has been selected to head PIA, which clearly reflects that there is paucity of talent within the country. Ethiopia is viewed as an im-poverished African state having endured years of civil war and conflict. Nonetheless, the airline, which is wholly owned by the Ethiopian government and considered a strategic asset, has survived the national adversities and made astounding progress while remaining in the public sector.

It is a pity that while airlines have prospered, PIA has fallen from grace over the last three to four decades owing to faulty aviation policies, political expediency and demise of meritocracy. To be fair, however, aviation is not the only exception.

Other industries and institutions have suffered and decayed owing to detrimental policies. For instance, the first automobile assembling plant in Pakistan was set up as far back as May 1949. Even after the passage of more than seven decades, the government has failed to push the plethora of assembling units to upgrade to complete manufacturing.

Successive governments have never been serious in implementing the deletion targets. On top of this, the government has now allowed import of used vehicles, and has, in fact, reduced taxes on such imports. All over the world, governments protect industries from unfair competition by foreign suppliers, but we do not do that.

Pakistan is an important case study to investigate how its economy, institutions, talent, business skills and innovative spirit have regressed so sharply over the years.

Arif Majeed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2026