Pakistani Pilots Fly PIA Aircraft For Decades After Clearing Tests With Fake Degrees

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency has found during a probe that two pilots who flew PIA flights for decades used fake degrees to get the jobs.

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) disclosed on Tuesday that two pilots had served Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for years after clearing their tests with fake degrees. What's shocking is that they flew aircraft with the PIA for decades, putting the lives of passengers at risk.

Kashan Aijaz Dodhy and Mohsin Ali, employed by PIA in 1995 and 2006, respectively, were accused in 2022 after an audit exposed 457 employees at the national carrier, reported Pakistani media website Dawn. They had allegedly secured positions using fake degrees. FIA sleuths confirmed that both pilots had falsified their educational qualifications. Dodhy and Ali left PIA in 2019 and 2014, respectively.

The FIA also filed cases against air hostess Nazia Naheed and data operator Arif Tarar, alongside the two pilots, for obtaining jobs at PIA with fake degrees. “All four admitted in court on Monday to presenting fake documents to secure employment or promotions within PIA,” an FIA official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) revealed that all four individuals accused of using fake degrees to secure employment with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had either retired or been terminated by the time the cases were registered against them in 2022.

Kashan Aijaz Dodhy, who was hired as a cadet pilot from Karachi, said that he submitted a fake Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree to secure an edge in the job, even though only an FSc (Faculty of Sciences, intermediate level) was required. He was employed on November 13, 1995, and dismissed in 2019 after his degree was verified as fake.

Mohsin Ali, hired as a co-pilot in 2006, confessed to presenting a fake BA degree during his recruitment, although the job required only an intermediate qualification. His fraudulent degree was exposed in 2014, resulting in his termination.

The court recorded the confessions of the accused, and Judge Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh sentenced them to imprisonment lasting “until the rising of the court” and imposed varying fines.

 

 

 

In 2020, then-Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, revealed that many Pakistani pilots possessed "dubious licences", a disclosure that tarnished the country's reputation. He claimed that between 2008 and 2018, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had hired 658 staff members, including pilots and engineers, with fake qualifications and questionable licences.

This revelation raised alarms within the global aviation industry, prompting several international airlines to ground pilots of Pakistani origin. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and UK authorities also suspended PIA’s flights to Europe.