Malik Waqar
ISLAMABAD: In the wake of widespread criticism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed an investigation into a controversial post shared by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on its official X account, which celebrated the resumption of European flights after a four-year hiatus.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the statement while quoting the country’s head of state during his address to the upper house of Parliament.
The post by the national flag carrier featured an image of an aircraft flying towards the Eiffel Tower, with the French flag in the background. The caption read: “Paris, we are coming today.”
The social media post swiftly attracted widespread condemnation due to its unsettling resemblance to the tragic events of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, where nearly 3,000 people lost their lives when hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania on 11th September 2001.
Addressing Parliament, Dar remarked: “The Prime Minister has instructed [the authorities] to investigate who conceived this advertisement. It was a display of thoughtlessness.”
Moreover, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his concern over the caption used in the post.
On X, netizen Omar Quraishi raised pertinent questions regarding the creative agency responsible for the PIA’s campaign.
Another asked: “Who at PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) thought this was a great creative to announce the resumption of their flights to Paris?”
