Airports’ outsourcing deferred, court told

LAHORE

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Wednesday told the Lahore High Court that outsourcing of the country’s three airports had been deferred till June 3. 

CAA Deputy Director Legal Farooq Afzal stated this during hearing of petitions challenging outsourcing of management control of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore airports. However, Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah expressed dismay over non-appearance of any responsible officer of the CAA. A deputy attorney general asked the court to grant some more time to file a detailed report on the issue and appearance of the authority’s officer conversant to the outsourcing process. The chief justice observed that the court would stay the impugned process of airports’ outsourcing if the CAA did not change its conduct. The CJ adjourned further hearing till May 30 and directed the CAA to submit its report about legal position of the outsourcing the management control of the airports. 

Earlier, Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn argued on behalf of the petitioners that Civil Aviation Act did not allow outsourcing or privatisation of the airports for being sensitive premises. The lawyer said the airports were used for emergency landing of passengers and air force planes during war situation. He said outsourcing the airports would amount to risk national security. He asked the court to restrain the government from outsourcing of the airports.

adjourned: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of Shahbaz Taseer kidnapping case till May 29.

Previously, police had informed the court that Shahbaz Taseer had not recorded his statement. However, the statement of Shahbaz Taseer is still pending due to which the court again adjourned the hearing till May 29.

The court had consigned the case to record in 2014. Later, it was reopened while allowing an application filed by one of the alleged accused, Usman.

Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain former Punjab governor Salman Taseer, was recovered in March 2016, nearly five years after his abduction in 2011 from Lahore. Police had registered a case against accused Abdur Rehman, Farhad, Moazzam and Usman.