FIA registers FIRs against 40 pilots, eight CAA officials

KARACHI: After a thorough investigation and on the directives of the federal government, the Federal Investigation Agency has registered three first information reports (FIRs) against eight officials and officers of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, 40 pilots and a private person on Friday.

The cases were registered by FIA’s Corporate Crime Circle, Karachi in ‘Fake Pilot License Exam’ cases against Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), pilots and private persons.

According to a statement issued by FIA, the exams were conducted either on public holidays, for example, Eid Milad-un-Nabi, Eid Holidays, weekends or after office hours. Intriguingly some of the exams of the pilots’ were conducted when they were conducting domestic or international flights.

Three FIRs No. 06/2021, 07/2021 and 08/2021 were lodged against 40 pilots out of 50 recommended by the government, eight government officials of PCAA license branch and one private person.

“The FIRs were registered on the written complaint of Deputy Director General (Regulatory) PCAA regarding issuance of Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).” They were registered against the authorities of Licensing Branch of PCAA, a private person and accused pilots who illegally obtained CPL and ATPL on the basis of fake pilot license exams, the FIA officials said in the statement.

The FIA detained accused Khalid Mehmood, Acting Additional Director (Licensing), PCAA, Faisal Manzoor Ansari, Senior Joint Director, Licensing Branch, PCAA, Asif-ul-Haq, Senior Joint Director, Licensing Branch, PCAA, Muhammad Mahmood Hussain, Additional Director (Licensing), PCAA, Abdul Raees, Senior Superintendent HR —Licensing Branch, PCAA and Muhammad Saqlain Ali, Pilot. While the FIA teams are making efforts to arrest the other accused as well.

The government has ordered the FIA to start criminal proceedings against the 50 commercial Pilots whose licenses were suspended after an inquiry into the plane crash in Karachi and whose licenses could not be verified. On May 22, a PIA airbus crashed in a densely populated residential neighbourhood of Karachi at a little distance from the runway. As many as 97 people including 91 passengers and 8 crew members perished, while two miraculously survived.