Forensic inquiry revealed 236 suspicious pilots from 2010 to 2018

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said the forensic inquiry from 2010 to 2018 revealed 236 suspicious pilots who have been suspended.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with Information Minister Shibli Faraz and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shehzad Akbar, Ali Zaidi said that the PPP was trying to built a narrative but Roosevelt Hotel in New York is not being sold.

He said that there is a constant consultation on all the national assets on how to make maximum profit from them so at present only consultation is taking place.

The federal minister added that at the moment no one is even buying a car in the United States, so it is very foolish to say that government is Roosevelt hotel.

Ali Zaidi said that after the PTI government came to power, under our mandate, we launched an investigation into the manner in which the country’s institutions were destroyed, including PIA and civil aviation.

“We received reports of irregularities and suspicious things and found out that there were irregularities in the licenses of some pilots, so 54 such people were immediately suspended and a detailed forensic inquiry was launched,” he said.

Ali Zaidi added that a new licensing system was introduced in 2010 which was computerized but did not have a firewall and password protection facility, so all these irregularities took place.

He said that when the Forensic Commission of Inquiry conducted a detailed investigation, it found that eight in 2010, 20 in 2011, 28 in 2012, 28 in 2013, then 20, 14 in 2014, 25 in 2015, 39 in 2016 and 37 in 2017. 46 and 38 in 2018 and the total 236  pilots were suspicious, when it was revealed all these pilots were suspended.

He said that many Pakistani pilots are also in other airlines outside the country, if there was any doubt about them, it has been clarified.

He said that civil aviation has upgraded and strengthened the information technology system, made administrative reforms such as digital fingerprinting and in-camera testing, firewalls have become appropriate, independent passwords have been created so that they no one could hack.

Ali Zaidi said that those involved in these irregularities have also been suspended, out of which five key officials of Civil Aviation who belong to the Civil Aviation Licensing Authority will be investigated.

He said an investigation would be conducted into each of them to find out who was involved in the irregularities and further investigations were underway.

On this occasion, he slammed senior PML-N leader and Senator Mushahidullah Khan and said that the dramas that Mushahidullah has done in PIA are known to the entire nation, just Google it and you will get to know their irregularities and illegal recruitment of their relatives in PIA.

The Federal Minister assured that in a few months after the completion of this inquiry, the Civil Aviation Authority will be one of the leading authorities in the world in terms of safety because when you eliminate corrupt elements, things will get better automatically.

He claimed that PIA was soon on track to become the best airline in the region and had been instrumental in building many airlines.

On the occasion, Shehzad Akbar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability, said that Pakistan was going to appeal against the ban on air operations in Europe and in the past the European Union had been suspending our flights due to poor security arrangements.

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