At Karachi Airport, baggage scales used for commercial weighing are subject to Sindh weights and measures rules. Passengers can ask for a recheck when a reading appears wrong and should verify airline-specific baggage limits before travelling. I can picture the scene at Jinnah International Airport because it happens at check-in counters everywhere. A passenger arrives with a suitcase carefully weighed at home. The home scale showed 28 kilograms. The airline counter suddenly shows 31. The difference matters. An airline may charge a substantial amount for those extra kilograms, particularly on an international journey. Most passengers either pay or open the suitcase on the terminal floor and start removing clothes. Few would think of asking a more basic question: Who checks the machine that has just decided how much I must pay? I started looking into that question after hearing claims that airport scales can show incorrect weights and that passengers have a legal right to demand a...
Strategic analysis on geopolitics, financial systems, and Pakistani affairs, blended with personal stories and commentary from Karachi. Written by Munaeem Jamal.