LAHORE, Dec 24: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan revealed on Tuesday that two pilots of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) worked for the national carrier using fraudulent degrees. Kashan Aijaz Dodhy and Mohsin Ali were hired in 1995 and 2006, respectively, and were charged in 2022 after an audit uncovered numerous employees with fake qualifications. The investigation confirmed the degrees of both pilots to be counterfeit. Dodhy left PIA in 2019, while Ali resigned in 2014. They, along with flight attendant Nazia Naheed and data operator Arif Tarar, are facing charges for securing their positions through deceptive means. An FIA official reported that all four acknowledged their use of fake degrees for employment and promotion during proceedings in front of a special court. Judge Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh has ordered their detention “until the rising of the court” and imposed various fines. In a previous incident in 2020, former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan disclosed that Pakistani pilots held “dubious licenses,” asserting that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had hired 658 individuals, including pilots and engineers, with fraudulent academic qualifications and questionable licenses between 2008 and 2018. This revelation triggered a response from international aviation authorities, leading several foreign airlines to ground pilots of Pakistani origin, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and UK officials prohibited PIA from operating in Europe. (PTI)
