The Parliamentary Committee on Aviation has disclosed that the national airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), has not undergone an audit from 2010 to 2020.
Following this revelation, the committee has requested a detailed explanation for the decade-long absence of audits.
Ramesh Lal stated that former minister Sarwar Khan had severely damaged the organization’s reputation, while the Secretary of Aviation noted that route restrictions would be lifted in the coming months.
The meeting of the National Assembly’s Aviation Committee, chaired by Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Babar, addressed various issues, including allegations against two PIA officials in Bahrain and Birmingham, raised by member Munaza Hassan.
The CEO of PIA confirmed that the country manager, Owais, has been recalled. When committee member Dr. Darshan inquired about reopening PIA’s closed routes, the Secretary of Aviation assured that they are satisfied with the regulatory regime and that restrictions would be lifted soon.
Mahreen Razaq Bhutto questioned who is responsible for the lack of audits over the past decade. Ramesh Lal also asked for the reason behind the absence of audits for ten years.
The Secretary of Aviation confirmed that audits had not been conducted for that period but mentioned that audits were carried out twice during the last four years under the PTI government.
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Munaza Hassan further inquired if any PIA aircraft had crashed during those ten years, to which the Secretary of Aviation responded that there had been four incidents. The committee has demanded a detailed explanation regarding the lack of audits.
The CEO reported that PIA currently has 10 Airbus A320s and two ATRs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were twelve Boeing 777s, but only five are operational now, with plans to have seven operational before Hajj.
Committee member Ramesh Lal criticized former minister Sarwar Khan for ruining PIA’s reputation, stating that as long as “black sheep” remain within the organization, PIA cannot progress.
The committee chairman noted that in 2022, the National Assembly had approved a resolution to rename Islamabad Airport after Benazir Bhutto. The Secretary of Aviation stated that name changes occur through the Cabinet Division, while Mahreen Razaq Bhutto suggested writing a letter to the Prime Minister regarding this matter.
