Govt has grounded all suspected pilots, says Shahzad Akbar

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said on Thursday that all suspected pilots have been grounded over the directives of the federal government, ARY News reported.

Shahzad Akbar, while addressing a press conference alongside federal minister Ali Zaidi, said that it was very important to bring reformations in the national institutions and the government was not showing tolerance for any kind of irregularity.

He said that the issue of pilot licences was initiated after a suo motu notice of the Supreme Court (SC) when the then prime minister and chief executive officer (CEO) of AirBlue airline company had been summoned.

Read: PIA, CAA will emerge better than ever from crisis: Ali Zaidi

Akbar said that the top court had reprimanded the former premier for running an airline company alongside governing a country as chief executive. He added that the national carrier was destroyed due to the moves of the past government. The SAPM reminded that Toshakhana case was also opened by the apex court. He admitted that international flights are still affected due to coronavirus pandemic.

It is pertinent to mention here that Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had revealed on June 26 that the total number of ‘suspicious pilots’ was 262 in different airlines including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Read: Federal cabinet summons summary for licence cancellation of suspected pilots

Ghulam Sarwar Khan, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad, had said that those PIA pilots faced investigation have been recruited by the past governments. He said that the pilots had been recruited before 2018 who have faced inquiry as no new appointment was made during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The process of reformation has been commenced in the national carrier, said Khan, adding that the former chief justice had directed to scrutinise degrees of the pilots. The number of pilots performing duties in PIA was 450 and 262 pilots employed at the national carrier and other airlines were declared suspicious. He added that suspicious pilots will not be allowed to fly aircraft.