In brief
The ad's striking visuals prompted outrage, reflecting ongoing challenges for Pakistan International Airlines.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has initiated an investigation into the controversial advertisement released by the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which has been criticized for its unsettling resemblance to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The advertisement, intended to celebrate the airline’s resumption of flights to Paris, featured an aircraft angled towards the iconic Eiffel Tower and was accompanied by the message, “Paris, we’re coming today.”Upon its release last week, the advertisement quickly attracted uproar on social media, with many users expressing their discomfort. Notable voices in the criticism included political scientist Ian Bremmer, who remarked on Threads about the need for a better graphic designer for the airline. Columnist Omar R. Quraishi echoed these sentiments, questioning the insensitivity of not acknowledging the 9/11 attacks, which involved planes attacking significant buildings in the U.S.This backlash comes in light of Pakistan’s historical connections to the 9/11 attacks, including the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the attacks, in Pakistan in 2003, and the notorious presence of Osama bin Laden in the country until his death in 2011. In a parliamentary session, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Prime Minister Sharif has requested a thorough inquiry into how the advertisement was approved internally by the airline.The controversy further complicates the woes of PIA, which has been struggling financially and facing significant obstacles in its attempts to privatize. A bid for privatization was thwarted last November when prospective buyers offered only a fraction of the government’s expected minimum sale price. PIA has long been a source of headlines, previously attracting negative attention for a 2017 incident involving ground crew members sacrificing a goat on the tarmac for good luck. Safety concerns have also plagued the airliner, resulting in bans from operating in the United States and Britain, although it recently resumed flights to Paris following the lifting of a EU aviation safety ban.
