Pakistan's flagship carrier needs a radical overhaul. The Karachi crash is the latest reminder

Many Pakistanis tempered this year's Eid greetings with words of condolence or prayers for the victims of coronavirus and PIA flight PK-8303. The flight from Lahore crashed in a dense residential area adjacent to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22, killing all but two of the 99 people on board. Investigators have recovered the flight data recorder but the cause of the crash is yet to be determined. The crash was a horrific tragedy at a time when the country is battling the mounting toll of the pandemic. But as with most things in Pakistan, it is also political. Pakistan's national carrier has been ailing for over a decade and now has liabilities of more than PKR400b ($2.48b). The institution has long suffered from allegations of corruption and cronyism. As the global lockdown in response to coronavirus took effect in March, Bloomberg identified PIA as the airline most likely to go bankrupt within two years. Successive attempts to revamp the airline have been botched by poor management. The airline has had nine CEOs over the past 12 years. The appointment of the current CEO, Arshad Mahmood Malik, has been controversial, sparking legal battles and further skewing Pakistan's civilian-military balance. Malik is an Air Marshal of the Pakistan Air Force. A provincial court in December barred Malik from continuing in the role on the basis of a petition filed by PIA's Senior Staff Association, arguing that he lacked the necessary qualifications and experience. Story has more of the background.<br/>