Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been embroiled in a significant scandal involving the use of fake degrees by its pilots and cabin crew over many years, leading to the termination of several employees and raising serious concerns about flight safety and integrity within the airline industry. This issue came to light following a comprehensive audit in 2022, which uncovered that 457 PIA employees, including critical roles like pilots, had been recruited or promoted based on fraudulent educational credentials.
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The scandal took a legal turn when four former PIA employees, including two pilots, a stewardess, and a data entry operator, confessed to using fake degrees to secure their positions or advance within the airline. These individuals were identified as Kashan Aijaz Dodhy, Mohsin Ali, Nazia Naheed, and Arif Tarar. Dodhy, who was hired as a cadet pilot in 1995, admitted to using a fake BSc degree, leading to his dismissal in 2019. Ali, appointed as a co-pilot in 2006, confessed to employing a fake BA degree despite the job's basic requirement being only an intermediate qualification, resulting in his termination in 2014. Naheed hired as an air hostess in 2001, used a bogus BA degree for promotion, ending her tenure with PIA in 2014 upon discovery. Tarar, who transitioned from a peon to a data entry operator, used a fake FA degree and was investigated after his retirement in 2018.
These confessions were made during a court session where the accused sought pre-arrest bail but later pleaded guilty after their indictments. The judge, Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh, ensured they understood the implications of their confessions before proceeding, which led to their conviction. They were sentenced to "imprisonment till the rising of the court," which is a nominal punishment, alongside fines. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has been actively investigating these cases since the revelations, with the number of implicated employees suggesting systemic issues within PIA's recruitment and verification processes. This scandal follows previous instances where the authenticity of pilots' licenses was questioned, notably in 2020 when it was revealed that nearly a third of Pakistan's commercial pilots held dubious or fake licenses.
The exposure of such widespread use of fraudulent degrees not only tarnishes the reputation of PIA but also poses a significant risk to passenger safety and the airline's operational integrity. The airline has faced international backlash, with countries like the European Union suspending PIA's flights to Europe, highlighting the global implications of such malpractices. In response, PIA has vowed to overhaul its recruitment and verification processes, ensuring stricter checks and balances. The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan has also been directed to suspend the licenses of those who cannot verify their credentials, with ongoing investigations likely to uncover more such cases. This incident calls for a broader review of educational and professional qualifications across industries in Pakistan, emphasizing the need for robust verification systems to prevent such occurrences in the future.