A post from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) created an uproar on social media after an advertisement showed a plane headed towards the famed Eiffel Tower in France with the caption ‘Paris, we’re coming today.’ The post quickly went viral and racked up millions of views – with many pointing out that the imagery seemed more akin to a threat than an advertisement

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The Prime Minister of Pakistan has ordered a probe into an advertisement.

This comes after a post from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) created an uproar on social media.

But what do we know about the advert? Why did it create such a stir? And why did the Pakistani prime minister get involved?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know?

The PIA put up the advertisement on social media on January 10.

The post was put up to announce that flights from Pakistan to Europe were resuming after a four-year break.

The advertisement had the image of a plane headed towards the famed Eiffel Tower in France.

The post was accompanied with the caption, “Paris, we’re coming today.”

A far tinier caption noted the flights from Islamabad to Paris and back had resumed.

As per Business Today, it was accompanied by a soundtrack from Bruno Mars on Instagram.

The post quickly went viral – racking up millions of views.

But it wasn’t good news.

The overwhelming majority on social media quickly pointed out that the imagery seemed downright inappropriate – more akin to a threat than an actual advertisement.

Others said it reminded them of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda which left nearly 3,000 dead and claimed that the company lacked sensitivity.

“Pakistan air needs a new graphic designer,” Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and author, wrote on Threads.

Newspaper columnist Omar R Quraishi wrote on X, “Do they not know about the 9/11 tragedy — which used planes to attack buildings.”

People also drew unfavourable comparisons to a similar advertisement the PIA had made in the 1970s.

The advertisement also drew comparisons to the PIA ad in the 1970s. Image courtesy: X

That advertisement, believe it or not, showed the shadow of a Boeing 747 on New York’s Twin Towers.

The backlash from the advertisement also revived conversation about Osama Bin Laden – the former leader of Al-Qaeda during the 9/11 attacks – who was found hiding in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in 2011.

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who reportedly masterminded the attacks, was also arrested in Pakistan in 2003.

As per Economic Times, the PIA is yet to release a statement addressing the controversy.

However, that hasn’t stopped the government from jumping in.

Why did the Pakistani PM get involved?

This comes as a result of the fierce backlash from the post.

News18 quoted Pakistani finance minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Shehbaz Sharif directed a probe into the post.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“The Prime Minister has directed [authorities] to investigate who conceived this ad. It is stupidity,” Dar was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, PIA’s first flight to Europe went off without a hitch.

The flight landed at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

As per Economic Times, the PIA has flights twice a week to Europe – on Friday and Sunday.

The airline had been banned by the European Union after a spate of crashes – including a 2020 plane crash in Karachi that left 97 dead.

A pilot licensing scandal that showed that a third of Pakistan’s pilots held fraudulent licences also damaged the airline’s reputation.

However, the airline is still not allowed to operate in the United States and the United Kingdom.

As per Business Standard, the PIA has faced several controversies over the years.

In 2017, the airline came for a torrent of criticism after its staff sacrificed a goat on the tarmac for good luck.

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