SOME ANECDOTAL NOTES ABOUT SOFTWARE– PART III

Contributed by: Sultan Muhammad

In mid 70’s, Pakistan Air Force was one of the earliest users of Informal Technology in the country – the others being PIA, Habib Bank and Pakistan Army etc. Those were the days of Main Frame Computers mostly IBM— the machines and the paraphernalia occupying a few rooms.

The men employed in IT were very important people and they rightfully felt the importance and pride. They had attractive pay packages and perks. Since most other people did not know much about the working of these special persons, they held professional awe and respect for these different types of Professionals !

In the PAF the organization was called ‘Data Automation Directorate’, there being some 40 other Directorates at the Air Headquarters dealing with different subjects like Operations, Administration, Operations, Administration, Personnel, and Weapons etc. Therefore, for the data automation of each such Directorate, its Director was the ex-officio designated ‘Officer of the Primary Interest” [OPI], who was the one point of contact to co-ordinate all matters related to his Directorate with the DATA AUTOMATION DIRECTORATE (DAD for Short). At that time by chance there was a very heavy-set Director of the DAD, who was a highly experienced, erudite, articulate, and a very senior Engineer, who had been trained in US, UK and elsewhere. His word was considered to be the last in these matters !

I happened to be posted as a brand new Director of Personnel (HR) responsible for all aspects of the activity – from the need of total manpower requirement of some 30,000 in about 30 different trades; coordination for their flow of induction, training (basic and advanced), their utilization and allocation to some 20 Major PAF Bases and some 200+ PAF Units according to the PAF policy to meet stated goals and objectives. Earlier this task was done through Registers and Lists typed on manual Typewriters ! What a gigantic task it was, requiring a large body of Officers and Men both at the Air Headquarters and the PAF Record Office. No wonder the Director of Personnel was such an important person. His hands were always full.

The DAD in consultation with my predecessors had worked out a User’s Requirement about the HR Directorate, a lot of data had been entered ‘IN’ and some Trial ‘OUTPUTS’ had been obtained. When I arrived at the scene, to my surprise I discovered that the already accomplished automation did not serve the purpose in full and in many ways.

Whereas the PAF should have required the HR automation to be able to answer the all important questions of identifying the levels of skills (3, 5 and 7 – from the lowest to the highest) of each aircraft technician of the SEVEN such trades in the PAF for each PAF rank i-e. [ Corporal, Sergeant, Flight Sergeant and Warrant Officer ] in 2 or 3 different type of Aircraft. The existing automation did not cover this crucial aspect, because only then it could be useful for decision making. So the work of the DAD did not meet the new OPI of Personnel (HR). When I pointed out this deficiency in a Major Meeting– the top brass of the PAF was aghast to learn about this and the DAD was very badly embarrassed. One may ask as to what had been automated? The name of the person, names of his parents, his date of birth, place and district of domicile, colors of eyes, hair, height, weight, religion and sect; date of joining the PAF, his academic scores – both pre-PAF and of training courses in PAF during service, postings, transfers showing Bases/Units, punishments and rewards, Promotions, awards etc. So these were merely the Records, but not tools for any decision making for selection/nomination of a person for a slot according to his level of skills or experience in different aircraft on which he had the skill – in peace or war.

Consequently, the User’s Requirement for the above specs of the automation were re-worked, and the data gathering work started all over again. Quite an experience for the brand new OPI of HR and our dear DAD! So these were the early days of Software Development in the PAF at least.

Tailpiece:  However I do recall one very interesting incident. Pope was visiting Karachi and he was to hold a Mass in a very large open space. The then President of Pakistan General Zia ul Haq desired the maximum participation of all shades of Christians among the military personnel and their families at a very short notice of only 24 hours. The Chief of the Air Staff called me while I was eating my lunch at home and inquired if I could pull out the data of such persons in a JIFFY, so that their airlift by PAF C-130s could be arranged during the night to Karachi from all the PAF Bases. A real tall order, because most of the personnel of the Data folks would be off resting at home and when assembled the IBM Machines required some sort of a star-up crank up those days taking some time. Any way I talked to the DAD then (who was a much accomodating person besides being a personal friend as well). He was also much lighter physically being a Squash player. Lo and behold ! He helped me pull out the entire list in the next 3-4 hours. Our CAS was a very happy man and so was I. Soon enough, during the night all the Christians and families of PAF were on their way to Karachi in PAF C130s, from all over the country. The next day they attended the Mass.

Thus, it was the original INPUT in the IBM Machine, which made this possible !