In an age when airlines today hesitate to transport minors without layers of indemnity forms, biometric verifications, and tightly codified liability frameworks, there was a period in Pakistan’s aviation history when parents entrusted five-month-old infants to cabin crew for transcontinental travel, and the airline carried not only passengers but parental faith across continents. The now-circulating image of PIA air hostesses Momi Gul Durrani and Rashida holding twin babies inside a Boeing 720 cabin is not merely nostalgic content for social media; it is documentary evidence of a service culture that once defined Pakistan International Airlines at the height of its global prestige.
The Photograph: Authentic Story, Digitally Altered Frame
The colorized version of the image circulating online shows minor structural inconsistencies, particularly around the headrest geometry on the left side of the frame. These distortions strongly suggest AI-assisted enhancement layered onto an original black-and-white archival photograph. Journalist Sohail Ahmed has clarified that the original was monochrome and that sharpness and color were later added through editing tools. The enhancement does not negate the historical authenticity of the event; it simply modernizes its presentation. The documented narrative remains intact.
The twins — Fahim Ahmed and Susane Ifrah — born on March 11, 1962, undertook a 4,500-mile journey from London to Karachi at the age of five months without their parents, who remained in England to pursue medical studies. After landing in Karachi, they were transferred within twenty minutes to another PIA crew for the onward 700-mile leg to Rawalpindi. That logistical continuity reveals something deeper than operational efficiency; it reflects institutional confidence and diaspora trust.
