The pilot went on leave to save himself from “extremist elements” in the airline, sources said.
Some of his friends even suggested he should leave the country to save his life, they said.
Under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, a blasphemer faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Rights groups have said the law is often misused to settle personal scores or persecute minority communities.
“You see blasphemy is the most sensitive issue in Pakistan and one may lose one's life if he or she faces blasphemy charges,” said a PIA official, who did not want to be named.
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