‘Re-evaluate pilots accused of fraud, clear others,’ senate body asks authorities

ISLAMABAD:  The Senate sub-committee on aviation urged for speedy resolution of the issue of pilots whose licences had been cancelled by the Cabinet Division under ‘fictitious and concocted’ allegations levelled by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

The senate body, on Friday, showed concern over the future of pilots whose licences were cancelled after the former minister’s speech in the national assembly around three years ago. 

During the discussions, the Director General (DG) of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reiterated that the CAA only held administrative powers and was not involved in initiating criminal actions. As per the DG, the CAA only followed the directions of the Cabinet Division and the Supreme Court by asking the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), through a letter, to initiate appropriate action.

“The licences of pilots were cancelled by the Cabinet Division and not by the CAA,” he reiterated while stressing the importance of fixing a time limit to address the cancelled licences issue. The CAA was working on amending its rules, and a summary in this regard will be presented to the Cabinet for approval according to DG CAA who added that “pilots without FIRs registered against them will be cleared.”

The Senate body reached a conclusion that the FIA should pursue criminal charges against CAA officials instead of the pilots while adding that pilots holding Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) accused of fraudulent activities should undergo a reevaluation and failure to comply with the process within one year should result in the revocation of their licences.