PM approves establishment of Civil Drone Authority

Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved the establishment of the Civil Drone Authority to put in place an institutionalized mechanism to facilitate the development and regulation of the sector.

As per the details, PM Imran Khan approved the authority during a meeting in Islamabad. The Civil Drone Authority will be given the task to regulate and control unmanned aircraft systems in Pakistan. The Authority will decide matters regarding licensing, input, making, examination, and issuance of drone permits.

According to the latest updates, the civil drone authority will also work for manufacturing, operations, training, research, and development. Technical guidance to the industrial sector will also be given to facilitate domestic manufacturing.

Apart from that, the authority will have the right to impose fines and penalties, including cancellation of license and registration as well as the initiation of legal proceedings against under the prevailing civil and criminal laws.

The authority will be headed by the Secretary of Aviation. The authority will be composed of senior-level representation from PAF, Civil Aviation, Defense Production, Interior, and Ministry of Science and Technology. In addition to these, representatives from the federating units including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan will also be included. Three professionals of the field will also be included in the civil drone authority.

On this occasion, PM Khan said that employing drone technology for commercial, research and development, agricultural and other peaceful purposes was the need of the hour.

He also said that the establishment of drone authority will not only fill the existing vacuum due to the non-availability of law to regulate this important sector but will also be instrumental in the promotion and domestic production of this critical technology. He said that effective use of drone technology in various sectors will help in resource optimization and better service delivery.

The premier added that the process of legislation for the establishment of authority be completed on priority and the bill is introduced in the bill after its approval by the Cabinet.