In brief
Pakistan’s national airline faces criticism and scrutiny over an advertisement that evokes memories of the September 11 attacks, prompting an investigation from the Prime Minister.
In a striking move, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has initiated an investigation regarding the controversial advertisement released by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The ad was intended to announce the resumption of flights to Paris but quickly sparked outrage due to its unsettling resemblance to imagery from the September 11 attacks in the United States.The advertisement depicted an aircraft directed towards the iconic Eiffel Tower, accompanied by the text “Paris, we’re coming today.” This unsettling design elicited immediate backlash on social media platforms, where users pointed out the insensitivity of the comparison, bringing up the traumatic events surrounding 9/11. One notable reaction came from political scientist Ian Bremmer, who remarked on the social platform Threads, "Pakistan air needs a new graphic designer."Omar R. Quraishi, a well-known columnist, expressed his disbelief on X, stating, “Do they not know about the 9/11 tragedy — which used planes to attack buildings?” The undeniable connection between Pakistan and the events of September 11 further intensified the criticism. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the attacks, was apprehended in Pakistan in 2003, and the notorious Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed there in 2011.In response to the growing ire, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed to the Parliament that Prime Minister Sharif had called for an inquiry to examine the internal approval process that permitted such an advertisement to be published. This incident marks yet another challenge for PIA, which is already struggling with financial difficulties and the government's ongoing attempts to privatize the airline. Recent efforts to sell the airline have not progressed, with the only bidder offering significantly less than the government’s asking price of about $300 million. PIA has a history of controversies; for instance, in 2017, it attracted global attention when ground crew performed a goat sacrifice on the runway for good luck. Moreover, the airline has faced scrutiny regarding its safety protocols, resulting in bans from both the United States and Britain before the resumption of flights to Paris after a four-year suspension imposed by the European Union’s aviation safety agency.
