Allegations by minister ‘whose own degree is fake’ resulted in PIA Europe ban: Bilawal

PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday held the PTI government responsible for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) being barred from operating flights to European countries, saying the government wants to sell off the national flag carrier’s assets based on “lies”. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, he said PIA’s permit to fly to EU countries was suspended because Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had accused its pilots of holding dubious licences “without any evidence”.“The minister whose own degree is fake ... levelled this type of allegation against our pilots without any evidence [leading to] them being banned across the world. No one has caused this type of damage to PIA in history as this government,” he said, referring to Khan. Bilawal said government officials failed to realise that pilots are required to sit an exam and renew their licence every six months and they do not necessarily require a degree to operate flights. He emphasised that the licence and certification are issued to all pilots by the Civil Aviation Authority.

“I had warned the [government] on the floor of the parliament that if you don’t adopt a policy to control the pandemic, you will be isolated like Sweden and some other countries and your citizens won’t be allowed into other countries,” he said.