PAKISTAN's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has ordered an investigation into a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) advertisement accused of resembling 9/11 imagery.
The ad, released on 10 January to promote the resumption of PIA flights to Paris after a four-year suspension, showed a plane flying toward the Eiffel Tower with the tagline, "Paris, we're coming today."
Pakistan's finance minister Ishaq Dar called the ad "stupidity" and confirmed the prime minister's directive for a probe. "The prime minister has directed [authorities] to investigate who conceived this ad," Dar stated during a parliamentary session.
Omar Quraishi, a former political media adviser, criticised the airline on X, saying he was "truly speechless" that the ad was approved and questioned if it had been properly vetted.
PIA has not responded publicly to the controversy.
The airline has faced past issues, including a ban by the EU for over four years after reports that nearly a third of its pilots had cheated on exams and ignored safety protocols.
PIA remains banned in the UK and the US. In 2017, PIA staff were criticised for sacrificing a goat on the tarmac for good luck, The Guardian reported.
Pakistan has historical ties to the 9/11 attacks, as al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan before being killed by US forces in 2011.
David Lammy
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