Corruption in PIA pilot selection?

[Adnaan786]

I've heard a lot of things about PIA's pilot selection procedures. Mainly that often they don't select on merit etc..... It makes me suspicous because on their advertisements it says-

1) you have no right of appeal
2) they don't have to give you your marks

I'm wondering what anyone has to say about this, is it present in PIA and if so how prominent is it.

Thanks in advance.

[PakN'US]

Does that surprise you? That is typical of Pakistan is it not?

[cheetah]

I would call it networking. Good networking regardless of your geographical location is one of the best tools of success.

In PIA, being the son/daughter of a Captain is a distinct advantage.

[Adnaan786]

You're right, it shouldn't surprise me, but it's 2005!!! Will corruption ever stop in Pakistan. It is one of the main reasons stopping the growth and prosperity of our country.

Everything seems to be a "family business". So many companies within Pakistan, not just PIA, have probably lost out on so much good talent over the decades. Imagine what could have been.....

[PakN'US]

Imagine what could have been..

And that my friend, led to Brain Drain.............

[R.F.]

Hello Gents !
We musn't forget that PIA is an reflection of our present day Pakistani society. It would be naive' to expect that with the present day moral and ethical degeneration PIA would be an exception. Corruption in PIA has been prevailent from the time immemorial, however in the recent past it has now managed to permeate in ever facet or department of the corporation.

Having said that as far as the transparency of the pilot selection process is concerned has always been a contentious issue based on a number of variables which may have very less to do with 'Merit', furthermore the final selection is always approved either from the P.M.'s office or the NA and ofcourse the infamous GHQ, therefore you gents can have your pick.

[turbulence]

It is widly know in pia that the present dfo has inducted many cadets by using unfair means ,not by taking money but by requesting personal favors,this is the main reason that even after the change of chairman hes still there .

[Adnaan786]

furthermore the final selection is always approved either from the P.M.'s office or the NA and ofcourse the infamous GHQ

Sorry I've not heard about the GHQ, please tell me more.

P.S. who is the DFO at the moment and how long has been in that position? Is it Haroon something??

[GrandSlam]

I m a recently appointed CADET PILOT in PIA,I feel proud to say that i got inducted on MERIT,i did'nt find anything wrong with the induction process,The Selection was on Merit(that is wat i experienced),I had no PIA Background,No Political Background and No Forces Background,One Just have to work hard and leave the rest on Allah.

[Adnaan786]

That's great to hear Ramiz. Would you say that everyone got selected on merit?

[legalize]

am i right in saying there is a lady officer on the a310s who is married to a 747 pilot?

[Falcon598]

I m a recently appointed CADET PILOT in PIA,I feel proud to say that i got inducted on MERIT,i did'nt find anything wrong with the induction process,The Selection was on Merit(that is wat i experienced),I had no PIA Background,No Political Background and No Forces Background,One Just have to work hard and leave the rest on Allah.

My utmost congratulations to you Ramiz, Inshallah you will make an excellent pilot and later on a captain. Good going!

[Adnaan786]

I m a recently appointed CADET PILOT in PIA,I feel proud to say that i got inducted on MERIT,i did'nt find anything wrong with the induction process,The Selection was on Merit(that is wat i experienced),I had no PIA Background,No Political Background and No Forces Background,One Just have to work hard and leave the rest on Allah.

Congrats to you Ramiz, but not all on your course were selected on merit.

[AN]

It is not possible, in PIA, or any other govt org for that matter to select people on merit. This is due to the quota system, which dictates how many people from each province can be selected.

This usually leads to a distribution involving half of the people selected being from punjab, and the other half comprising one from khi, one from sindh (other than khi), one from each of the other provinces, and ONE PERSON ON MERIT BASIS ONLY.

This simply means that if PIA is selecting a total fo 15 pilots, and the 10 most educated, most experiences, most ideal candidates come from Karachi, and the rest are all pathetic sorry excuses for pilots (AND IM SPEAKING STRICTLY AS AN EXAMPLE), but happen to have a punjab domicile, Only one pilot from karachi can be selected and almost 7 from punjab, no matter how poor they are.
Similarly if there is only one candidate from a certain remote area, which in our country is possible, as in some areas very few people are exposed to flight school and have the ability to attend one, he is automaticaly selected, regardless of his merit/ability.

So this system automaticaly rules out any chances of selection solely on merit except for the ONE SEAT FOR MERIT. Needless to say it also leads to people who have lived all there lives in one city, showing up with domiciles claiming they are from timbuktoo as their qncestorsonce visited there.

If you take a city like Karachi, with its millions of inhabitants, chances are you will have a high number of applicants from the most inhabitated urban part of the country (realisticaly, most urban areas do not see many people becoming pilots), but only one of those can be selected.

Finaly, in every system in our country, or any country for that matter, there is some level of favoritism/corruption. All the western nations have accepted, and teach that it is now WHAT YOU kNOW, but WHO you know. so whether you are the American presidents son, or the pakistan presidents, it doesnt matter, you will get it if you want it.

I will however say that the system currently in place for selection, is the cleanest it has been to date, and while there will always be people powerful/influential enough to penetrate any good system, the process is surprisingly transparent, with most people getting dropped off during the written examination. If you cannot make it through there, nobody can help you. Once you do make it to the interview, then it is the better judgement of the people interviewing you. And once personal judgement is involved in a system, there will always be people favored over others, and people who are unhappy about this. Ramiz has already supported me in this, and whereas people who have not made it throught he system will always cry foul, it is the ones who have been through it who can attest thereto.

Adnaan786, as PIA comes under the defence dept, all pilots have to be approved by them (GHQ or whatever you want to call it) prior to being hired. This is one of those grey areas, where alot of people claim changes are made,however people who make it so far (this is the final step as PIA only sends the list to the defence dept once it has made its selection) you are in. It is more of a formality, and allows the defence dept its say in the process to keep it happy or whatever.
Finaly, the DFO (or SVP as it is now called thanks to Mr. Kirmani) is Capt. Furqan. He replaced Capt. Ather a few months ago. Turbulence, there goes your little theory/saying. The previous DFO who made the massive inductions was replaced late last year.
Popular saying is that they were both classmates of the aforementioned chairman during earlier years. After all, its all about WHO you know.
cheetah, if your son and one other person came to you for a job, and they both were identical meritwise, who would you pick. OBVIOUSLY your son would have a "distinct advantage". Its human nature. Such is the case EVERYWHERE, and you would be a very unusual individual if you picked some unknown person over your own child.

[Fanjet786]

I've heard a lot of things about PIA's pilot selection procedures. Mainly that often they don't select on merit etc..... It makes me suspicous because on their advertisements it says-

1) you have no right of appeal
2) they don't have to give you your marks

I'm wondering what anyone has to say about this, is it present in PIA and if so how prominent is it.

Thanks in advance.

Sadly in Pakistani Employment Culture, the translation of the word Merit=Sifarish

"It's not what you know but who you know"

Allah Hafiz!