In a bizarre twist in Pakistan's struggle against endemic corruption, the national flag-carrier — Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) — has reportedly been asked to play 'anti-corruption' songs as an in-flight warning to already jittery passengers.
The proposal, tabled by the Awareness & Prevention Division of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has been forwarded to PIA with the request that songs against corruption be made mandatory during flights, DawnNews reported.
The proposal also asks that flight stewards read out "anti-corruption messages" to send across an "effective message to God-fearing passengers", a senior NAB official said.
“Before takeoff, as passengers pray for a safe journey, air hostesses will [be asked to] read out messages regarding the curse of corruption. And the passenger will resolve not to commit corruption,” NAB's Director General of Awareness & Prevention Aliya Rashid told DawnNews.
“Passengers will hear anti-corruption songs on planes from next week,” she claimed.
A NAB spokesperson later clarified that the proposal has been forwarded and it is up to PIA to accept or reject it.
However, PIA's spokesperson, when contacted, said, "So far, we only have safety announcements on PIA flights. Any new announcement would need approval from the Board."
Aliya Rashid, who has been at the forefront of NAB's awareness campaign, has also said that she wants to paint every wall in the country with anti-corruption slogans.
In a past lecture at the Ministry of National Health Services, she had collectively admonished women for pushing their husbands and fathers to buy cars, houses, mobile phones etc, "just to compete with relatives or neighbours".
“It is like pushing a wheel-chair bound person to run," she had said. "Every man wants to be a hero in the eyes of his wife and children, so they try to fulfil the demands of their family members by using fair and unfair means,” she had stated.
