PIA, based in Karachi, also reported a loss for 2011 as it struggled with a workforce of more than 21,500 people to run a fleet of 40 planes. In comparison, Singapore Airlines Ltd. employed 21,997 people, as of March 2011, for a fleet of 100 planes. PIA paid more for fuel in the first quarter because prices averaged about 11 percent higher than a year earlier in Singapore.

Overstaffing is a “major problem,” said Umar Hafiz, an analyst at Arif Habib Ltd., a brokerage in Karachi. The carrier “will have to embark on an aggressive strategy to increase its competitiveness.”

“I came to Karachi a month before the deadly earthquake struck our villages and cities. I initially resided in Karachi with a distant relative who helped me in setting up a small Pan Khoka in Liaquatabad,” said Khan.

“One day, a group of thugs came to my shop, demanding money. Unaccustomed to the modus operandi of business in Karachi I was taken aback, the team ‘assured’ me that the money is nothing but rent which I must pay if I wanted to continue with the business,” he added.

According to Khan the ‘business’ continued for a couple of months but had to be shut down as the rent was superseding the revenue and profit generated by his small cabin.

Khan lost half of his family to the massive earthquake of 2005 and lost a major chunk of his savings to a very well-connected network of Bhattakhor (extortion) mafia of Karachi.

Recently, the government and coalition parties have taken notice of the prevalence of the extortion mafia in Karachi, which perhaps has affected and claimed many lives across the city. However, the question is, are the measures and anti-extortion bills sufficient to compensate the likes of Khan who spend a better half of their lives in saving to reap benefits in the latter half of their lives? People who lose their meagre assets to the anarchy of Karachi without being heard? And most importantly people who lose their beloveds in an effort to challenge the status quo of the corrupt system?

It will not be unwise to say that any business establishment, be it a small tea shop or a garment factory, in Karachi are subjected to similar outwresting. However, small businesses have a much bigger price to pay because they practically lose their means of livelihood whilst surrendering to the demands of the Bhatta Mafia.

Business tycoons, who rein local industries, are also blackmailed, however for them the bars are raised further. Perhaps their businesses continue to thrive but the noose of kidnappings for ransom and threatening phone calls tightens every second.

An industrialist who owns a winding factory near the Site in Karachi, on condition of anonymity said, “if someone tells you that we do not pay a penny to bhattakhors then they are being dishonest. No business in Karachi can ‘prosper’ or even operate without paying to the extortionists.”

“Two and a half years ago I received an anonymous call from someone who threatened to kill my nephew if I refused to heed to his demands. What did I do? I paid him and we continue to pay them because there is no law and order in this city and nobody wants to lose their children,” he added.

In the wake of extortions and kidnappings for ransom, many influential people relocated to countries like South Africa and Dubai and very rightly succumbed to the injustices of the demands made by the bhatta mafia. However, the ones that have been left behind continue to face the brunt of the lawlessness that rules the city.

According to sources, bhatta can at times be collected quite amicably and the slightly richer faction of business fraternity considers it a way of maintaining a congenial relationship with the ‘movers and shakers’ of the country.

“Every month we write a check in favour of a specific bhatta mafia and one of our assistants delivers it. It’s very convenient because in return they provide us with ample security so in a way we pay them for their ‘services’,” said a businessman who owns an automobile show room at Khalid Bin Walid Road.

Perhaps the section of the business community which considers extortion money a ‘blessing’ clearly lives in denial or simply refuse to admit that their objection to pay can result in destruction of their stock, property and, many a time, lives.

The question is what exactly are police and other law enforcing agencies doing to protect the victims of extortion? And where do they disappear when ‘the team’ arrives to collect the money?

“The transactions are carried out in the presence of our police and they completely support it. In fact I pay one rupee per day for every square foot of space that I utilise outside the premises of my restaurant to the custodians of law,” said an owner of a restaurant located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Chief of the Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, said on Wednesday that Pakistan followed the doctrine of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors, especially India. “We want peaceful co-existence with India as amicable neighbors; however, our desire should not be misconstrued as weakness,” the COAS remarked.

Talking to media, after reviewing the search operation that is underway to unearth
the 139 martyred troops in the Gayari sector who aer buried under tons of snow, the COAS said Pakistan was open to talks with India to de-militarize Siachen.

He said, “Both countries should sit together to resolve all the issues including Siachen.” He said the reason why was the Pakistan Army was on the Siachen was not a secret to the world. “It [was] Indians who carried the war onto Siahcen, forcing us to get up there and stop them in their tracks; we only mounted a natural tactical response,” Gen. Kayani said.

COAS also made it clear that the army was protecting the country’s borders on Siachen. “We are only manning the border on this frigid outpost in the line of duty.”

“Siachen consumes a mammoth amount of national exchequer, which must be diverted to the people of both countries respectively,” General Kayani said. The country’s armed forces do not want more spending on defense due to disputes.

On the Gyari rescue operation, he said, “We are trying to reach the bodies of the martyrs with all we are worth in the face of inclement weather; no stone has been left unturned, we are not far from them now.”

The statement of the Pakistan Chief of Army has born a hope for the possibility that at last sanity may prevail and both countries may withdraw forces from Siachen Glacier and make it a Peace Park – a very old demand of peace lovers of both countries. Both countries lost more than 3,000 young soldiers and millions if not billions of US dollars on this pointless and some say useless war. Retired generals from both of the countries believe that the Siachen issue is one of the easiest to solve, but it is hostage to general mistrust and hard-liners on both sides who don’t want to give up their claim on the territory.

The Siachen war is being considered an ego problem between the two armies, instead of a tactical or operational problem. The region is just east of the world’s second-highest peak, K-2, which has killed far more than artillery fire, due to its temperatures as low as -60 C, vicious winds, and altitude sickness. Casualty figures have not been released by either military, because both are sending very young soldiers that they call “Green Soldiers,” because the environment and weather is so unfriendly, that only young boys can survive there.

Analysts say resolving Siachen should be possible before the much more difficult dispute over Kashmir is attempted. Because no one lives in the region and it is of no strategic value, a joint or even unilateral withdrawal from one side could break the logjam.

In a survey and interviews conducted by eTN to know the viewpoint of the general public, experts, academia, and former personnel of the Pakistan Army, it was understood that majority of all wish to complete demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier and make it a tourism spot and Peace Park to promote harmony in the region.

These people were of the view that that Indian development in the trade sector was marvelous and Pakistan needed to worry about its economy.

India could afford the boarding and lodging of its army at Siachen, but it was hard for Pakistan to sustain its presence in the region, and both countries should solve the issue, and the billions of US dollars being spent on the war should be directed towards people’s prosperity.

Prof. Hassan Askari Rizvi, who is one of the most important experts of regional studies, was of the view that said deployment of troops at Siachen was wastage of money and resources. He said that the issue started in 1984, and later it became a matter of ego and pride for India and Pakistan. The professor said the ceasefire line was demarked and it ended exactly near Siachen, making the area a disputed territory.

Nasreen Kasuri, founding chairperson of Beaconhouse Group, welcomed the idea of opening negotiations between education sectors of two countries. She said that the negotiations would help two countries strengthening people-to-people contact through launching programs for exchange of students, exchange of faculty members and exchange of knowledge between Pakistan and India.

“Today’s students are leaders of tomorrow,” she said, adding that youth should be made part of ongoing peace process through students exchange programs.

“Youth should be given responsibility of nourishing the peace process from here onward.”

Beaconhouse school branches are in nine countries across the world including Pakistan. It was not necessary to open a branch in India. “The two countries can fulfil the purpose and strengthen relationship through student exchange programs.”

Mrs. Kasuri said that her group offered two scholarships to Indian students every year, but only one student has so far availed it.

“I hope that Pakistani students would also get scholarships from India.”

Tahir Khan, spokesperson of Hasho Group – an international hotel chain in Pakistan, said that development of hotels was a must for the growth of tourism, trade ties, and cultural exchange.

“The revival of relationship between Pakistan and India would also revive hospitality business in the region and particularly in Pakistan.”

In fact, the availability of hotels and tourist spots in any country plays a primary role in attracting businessmen visits and cultural shows from other countries, he said, adding that the same lies in case of Pakistan and India.

“The event of Basant in Pakistan has a lot potential to grow hospitality business, as a lot of Indians want to participate at such annual event.”

The negotiations may also result into constructing more hotels at regional level to welcome and accommodate visiting celebrities of two countries and their fans from other parts of the world as well.

Yahya Polani, chairman of Travel Agents Association of Pakistan, said that negotiations on tourism between two countries must address the problem of issuing visiting visas for across the country instead of two-three cities.

Indian and Pakistan should not only resolve to issue visa of their full countries, but they should also talk about issuing SAARC visa for tourism purposes so that one visa would be enough to visit all eight countries in the region.

“The growth in tourism industry would help countries in creating more employment opportunities and control crime rate,” he said.

The FBR officials said that the airlines are deducting and paying federal excise duty on two-way tickets on a routine basis.

There was ambiguity in the law on FED deduction on tickets purchased to travel to Pakistan, a senior official said on the condition of anonymity.

However, this was clarified by the FBR through a notification issued on October 20, 2007 that FED is chargeable on international travel originated from abroad across-the-board since September 1, 2007.

“Despite clear interpretation in the law, several operators (airlines) failed to comply with it,” the official added.

The FBR has estimated involvement of around Rs13 billion due to non-compliance by the airlines. “Around Rs4 billion has been identified as confirmed amount, which the revenue body can recover,” the official said.

The FED laws bind the airlines to charge and pay FED in respect of passengers travelling to Pakistan from abroad. It also explains that no airline or person in-charge of the aircraft should board any passenger on the aircraft unless passenger pays the excise duty.

The official said that for further scrutiny on FED issue, the revenue body had issued notices to various airlines for providing documents of the last three years.

The Board of Airline Representatives in Pakistan (BARIP) had recently approached Member Inland Revenue, FBR, and raised objections on the subject and requested to withdraw notices for providing information of the last three years.

The board rejected the tax deduction and provides information involved in the collection of FED on one-way tickets sold abroad.

It said: “If the UK VAT (value-added tax) cannot be collected on one-way ticket from Karachi to Lahore, the FED in respect of travel pertaining to Pakistan cannot be collected in respect of tickets sold outside Pakistan.”

The airline representatives’ body also raised objections regarding collection of FED on air tickets issued outside Pakistan by airlines, which do not operate their aircraft to Pakistan.

The Member Inland Revenue discussed the objections with the senior tax officials, who said that this was Pakistan’s revenue and is payable on travel to Pakistan.

What I saw took me back in time when wooden stoves, charpoys (stringed beds) and darris (floor spreads) were still in vogue. It was hard to believe that it was all a re-enactment of the real thing, so authentic was the depiction. Stalls depicting the different provinces offered an indigenous cultural look and the food sold would put any restaurant to shame. With prices so reasonable and helpings so generous, I stocked up a few containers for family and friends. Saag, Makai roti and Chappal Kebabs with live barbeque were the highlights.

Having satisfied my patriotic spirit, I walked towards the Chinese enclosure. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that it felt like being in “China Town” in Sydney or “Little China” in New York. Everybody was too busy to answer any questions or I would have asked how they managed to bring such a true-to-life atmosphere. Chinese music in the background, Chinese wall hangings, chopsticks, cookies and a sprinkling of Chinese guests transported me to a make-believe city of China. The Chinese commercial counsellor and commercial attaché from the embassy were comfortably roaming around enjoying the Chinese and Pakistani food.

Live performances by young Schola Novians on national and Chinese songs were a delight to watch. Looking for answers, I finally managed to talk to the principal who informed me that they had decided to blend the celebrations of spring and March 23 with our everlasting friendship with China. And what a celebration it was: colours of spring, love for Pakistan merging with the evergreen Pak-China brotherhood.

In the province of Punjab we have rich agriculture land and rivers, and shrines, forts and gardens, which depict the Mughal era. More than 2,000 years ago, Gandhara Buddhist civilization flourished in northern Pakistan, with Taxila as a seat of Buddhist learning.

Baluchistan is the largest province (by area) of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44 percent of the total land mass of Pakistan but little of the population. Baluchistan is rich in mineral resources; it is the second major supplier of natural gas in Pakistan. It has natural beauty, a range of mountains, salt mines and a long coastal belt.

The province of Sindh in the south also abounds in natural beauty as well as having been a cradle of the ancient civilization of Mohenjo-daro. The southern city of Karachi is the commercial hub of Pakistan and includes a port and beautiful sea beach. In addition to the natural beauty of the four provinces of Pakistan, the people of Pakistan are extremely hospitable and generous to tourists, especially foreign guests.

Tourism is the engine which mobilizes all the other business markets of a country thanks to tourist expenditure, resulting in rising socio-economic conditions. Pakistan is a country with breathtaking natural beauty and variety of flora and fauna.

From the mighty stretches of the Karakorams in the North to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the south, Pakistan remains a land of high adventure and nature. Trekking, mountaineering, whitewater rafting, wild boar hunting, mountain and desert jeep safaris, camel and yak safaris, trout fishing and bird watching are a few of the activities which entice adventure and nature-lovers to Pakistan.

The Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindukush ranges with their alpine meadows and permanent snow line, coniferous forests down the sub-mountain scrub, the vast Indus plain merging into the great desert, the coast line and wetlands, all offer a remarkably rich variety of vegetation and associated wildlife including avifauna, both endemic and migratory. Ten of 18 mammalian orders are represented in Pakistan with species ranging from the world’s smallest surviving mammals, the Mediterranean Pigmy Shrew, to the largest mammal ever known; the blue whale.

Northern areas of Pakistan, spread over 72,496 square kilometers, are as fascinating as the southern. Amidst towering snow-clad peaks with heights varying from 1,000 meters to over 8,000 meters, the valleys of Gilgit, Hunza and Skardu recall Shangri-La. The cultural patterns in this region are as interesting as its topography.

Modern Pakistanis are a blend of Harappan, Indo-Aryan, Indo-Iranian, Saka, Parthian, Kushan, White Hun, Afghan, Arab, Turkic and Mughal heritage. Waves of invaders and migrants settled down in Pakistan throughout the centuries, influencing the locals and being absorbed among them. Thus the region encompassed by modern-day Pakistan is home to the oldest Asian civilization (and one of the oldest in the world after Mesopotamia and Egypt), the Indus Valley civilization (2500-1500 B.C.).

The Khunjerab Pass, which the Highway crosses, and the nearby Mintaka Pass lie astride the fabulous ancient Silk Route that led from Europe to Asia and by which history’s most famous travelers once came. These include the Venetian trader Marco Polo, after whom were named the wild Marco Polo sheep in the 13th century, the Chinese Monk Fe Hien in the fourth century and the Arab historian Al-Beruni in the 11th century.

Culture

Establishment of Heritage University of Taxila: For the promotion of cultural relations between South Korea and Pakistan, a Korean-based organization, M/s Gandhara Art and Culture, has expressed an interest in the establishment of an institute for post-graduate studies, the “Heritage University of Taxila (HUT).” The aim of this institute would be the revival of the ancient glory and academic excellence of Taxila, and also to study, highlight and publicize the important aspects of the Gandhara civilization.

Introducing the project to media at a local hotel, Range Hospitality Business Development Director Shafaat Rasool Hashmi said that “Al-Rawdatain residences and hotel project currently under-construction is a good investment opportunity for those Pakistanis who want to put their money in global projects of religious tourism. It is a niche market, which has remained unaffected by wars and the global recession”.

The hotel and residences project, launched in August 2010, with 624 apartments offers Shariah compliant fractional ownership and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Managed by Shaza Hotels, it will be ground-plus 12 hospitality project spread over an area of 65,000 square-meters and is located less than a kilometer away from the holy shrines.

Given the gap in demand and supply for residences near the holy shrines in Karbala, Hashmi said “The property is likely to fetch high rents considering the current per-night rate charged by two-star hotel is US$ 300″. In view of current market trends you can expect a net return on investment (ROI) of up to 20%. Moreover you are likely to recover your total investment within the first five years”.

Rao has replaced Captain Nadeem Yousufzai who has been reappointed as Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director general (DG). Yousufzai, who has replaced Air Marshal (r) Khalid Chaudhry, was the aviation body’s chief till he was placed as the PIA MD after protest by Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (Palpa) led to the ouster of the then MD Ijaz Haroon last year.

Air Marshal (r) Chaudhry is on an official visit to China. He did not respond to repeated calls and text message dropped at his cell, while Yousufzai was also not available for his comments.

CAA General Manager Public Relations Pervaiz George, when approached, said he was unaware about any reported change in the CAA top hierarchy, while citing a long weekend as an excuse.

Sources in PIA confirmed to this newspaper having unofficially been communicated about Rao’s appointment.

The government was reportedly mulling over appointing Rao as PIA BoD chairman till the stay granted by Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the appointment of new secretary defence was vacated, in order to get Rao elevated as the secretary defence. However, as reported in this paper last Tuesday, the portfolio of BoD chairman by default rests with the defence minister and could only be assigned to any other if endorsed by the BoD.

The board’s meeting was not likely before next month while its endorsement for Rao’s appointment as chairman seemed difficult due to the unavailability of some of the members.

A BoD member requesting anonymity confirmed the chances of the b taking key organisational decisions in the next month’s expected meeting were very slim as four of its members had engagements abroad.

“The meeting is not likely to arrive at major decisions. Even the future of this particular meeting has landed in uncertainty due to the probable unavailability of some of its members,” he added.

Some days back, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar had told The Nation that he would relinquish the charge as PIA BoD chairman, while appearing to impliedly hinting at the probable elevation of Rao.

However, Mukhtar had cited his extensive occupational engagements as an explanation.

Following these constraints, the Ministry of Defence, with the reported approval of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, appointed Rao as the PIA MD.

Earlier, Yousufzai was likely to be replaced by a serving PAF commodore, who attaints the position of director at a PAF offshoot. He is reported to have been enjoying close association with Rao. Moreover, Rao has reportedly brought with him a large team of retired and serving PAF officers for deputation appointments and regular inductions in the airline that already faces fiscal losses calculated in billions. This has not boded well with the PIA personnel and the PIA Action Committee has voiced serious reservations over the development.

Reportedly, Yousufzai is not happy over his removal that came at a time when PIA was under immense criticism for operational lapses pertaining to flight safety. Although, the government gurus’ decision to replace Rao with Yousufzai was pre-planned, the suspension of PIA safety licence by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) proved as an excuse.

Amraiz Khan adds from Lahore: Talking about current financial status, an aviation expert said it would be a challenging job for the new MD since the accumulated losses of PIA from Sept 30, 2011 had hiked to Rs 111.543 billion. When the PPP government took over, the figures stood at Rs 42.416 billion, he added.