In a concerning trend, Pakistani flight attendants seem to be disappearing upon landing in Canada, with recent incidents raising questions about the circumstances surrounding their vanishing acts. Just days after a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cabin crew member went missing in Canada, another flight attendant vanished after arriving in Toronto on Friday.
The latest disappearance involved Jibran Baloch, a PIA flight steward who failed to report for duty on the return flight after performing his responsibilities on PIA’s flight PK-782. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Mr. Baloch had left his hotel room unnoticed.
This incident follows closely on the heels of another disappearance involving Maryam Raza, an air hostess who went missing in Toronto earlier in the week. Like Mr. Baloch, Ms. Raza failed to return for her duty on the return flight to Karachi, leaving behind her PIA uniform with a note expressing gratitude to the airline.
The pattern of Pakistani flight attendants disappearing in Canada is believed to be linked to opportunities for citizenship. Canadian law allows individuals to seek asylum upon entry into the country, providing refuge to those fleeing persecution or life-threatening situations in their home countries. This leniency in Canadian immigration policy may be incentivizing some flight attendants to pursue asylum upon arrival.
Despite efforts by Pakistani officials to address this issue, including measures such as collecting passports upon landing, the trend persists. The number of PIA crew members who have disappeared after landing in Canada has been steadily increasing, with four such cases reported last year and three so far this year.
The circumstances surrounding these disappearances highlight the complexities of international migration and asylum-seeking, as well as the challenges faced by airlines and immigration authorities in addressing such incidents.