ISLAMABAD – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is set to seek the support of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Canadian immigration authorities following the disappearance of two flight attendants during flights to Toronto.
The development was confirmed by a PIA spokesperson on Saturday and follows a surge in the number of ‘voluntary disappearances’ in Canada.
In two years, ten of the crew members of the airline have disappeared in Canada underscoring a concerning trend. Driven by economic hardships at home, individuals are increasingly seeking alternative avenues for relocation.
In June of the previous year, a vessel carrying over 750 irregular migrants, including 350 from Pakistan, sank near Greece, prompting Pakistani officials to engage in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Greek authorities to combat human trafficking and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The recent disappearance of Flight Steward Jibran Baloch and Airhostess Maryam Raza in Canada signals the expansion of this trend to white-collar workers within the country. Baloch, a crew member on the Toronto-bound PK-782 flight on Feb. 29, failed to report back, while Raza, who traveled to Toronto, did not board the return flight PK-784 to Karachi.
Confirming both incidents, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan outlined the airline’s decision to seek assistance from both the FIA and Canadian immigration authorities to locate and repatriate the missing cabin crew.
“This is a situation we are addressing with the FIA and Canadian immigration authorities,” Khan informed Arab News.
These developments come in the wake of the disappearance of Airhostess Faiza Mukhtar in January, assigned to PIA flight PK-781.
With three incidents recorded this year alone, the PIA spokesperson noted that the tally of airline crew members who have “disappeared” in Canada over the last two years has reached 10, attributing this trend to the “ease of asylum access and the general inclination of individuals seeking to leave the country.”
Despite various measures being implemented by the airline, such as profiling and restricting crew members to those aged 50 and above, as well as retaining passports with station managers upon arrival at foreign destinations, none have proven effective in deterring crew members from absconding.
Pakistan has been grappling with an economic downturn for over a year, characterized by soaring inflation, currency devaluation, and unprecedented living costs. These conditions have triggered many youngsters to leave the country legally or even illegally through various means in pursuit of better prospects.
