The Prime Minister of Pakistan has called for an investigation into a controversial advertisement by the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), after it was criticized for resembling the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The ad, which was posted on PIA’s official X account on January 10 to announce the resumption of flights from Islamabad to Paris, shows an airplane flying toward the Eiffel Tower with the tagline, “Paris, we’re coming today.”
The post has garnered over 21 million views on X since its publication.
However, the advertisement quickly sparked outrage on social media, with many users pointing out its resemblance to the 9/11 attacks, when two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, killing nearly 3,000 people.
“Did the airline management not vet this?” asked Omar Quraishi, a former political media adviser, on X.
The airline has yet to comment publicly on the ad and could not be reached for further comment on Thursday.
Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, informed lawmakers this week that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered an inquiry into the controversial ad, calling it “stupidity,” according to Pakistan’s Geo News.
Pakistan has faced ongoing challenges with domestic terrorism and the activities of terrorist groups operating from its territory. The alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was arrested in Pakistan in 2003, while Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al Qaeda group responsible for the attacks, was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.
PIA’s flights to the European Union were suspended from 2020 until late last year due to safety concerns after nearly a third of its pilots were found to have falsified their exams. The airline also remains banned in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Prime Minister Sharif had previously stated that the resumption of flights to the EU would help improve the airline’s reputation.
