KARACHI: Contradicting a statement made by the federal aviation minister that 40 percent of Pakistani pilots had fake licenses, the country’s civil aviation authority has said in a letter written earlier this week to officials in Oman that these licenses were “genuine and validly issued.”
Addressing the national parliament last month, Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the government had asked various commercial airlines, flying clubs and charter companies to ground a total of 262 pilots due to “dubious licenses.
“Unfortunately, the degrees of four of our pilots were found bogus while 40 percent pilots have fake licenses,” he claimed.
The statement was followed by the release of a list of 144 pilots who were accused of having improper credentials, but it was later retracted due to multiple anomalies.
However, the episode resulted in the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ flight operations to Europe and the United States, while several countries around the globe also grounded Pakistani pilots.
The director general of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, Hassan Nasir, wrote a letter to his counterpart in Oman on July 13, 2020, to inform him about the “situation on the ground,” the aviation division’s spokesperson, Abdul Sattar Khokhar, told Arab News on Wednesday, adding that Pakistan had verified licenses of 166 pilots who were employed by foreign airlines.
Over 800 Pakistani pilots, he added, were associated with local, international and private airlines.
“It is important to clarify that all CPL/ATPL [Commercial Pilots Licenses/Airline Transport Pilots Licenses] issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) are genuine and validly issued,” the letter, a copy of which is available with Arab News, asserted.
It added that “none of the Pilot Licenses are fake, rather the matter had been misconstrued and incorrectly highlighted in the media.”
Khokhar maintained the government wanted to ensure maximum air travel safety, adding that it immediately took notice and initiated the verification process of pilots’ credentials after concerns were raised about the validity of their licenses.
The aviation minister declined to comment when asked if he stood by his statement in parliament after the PCAA clarification. However, the Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (PALPA) welcomed the development, saying it endorsed the stance of its representatives.
“We had already maintained that the ATPL license of any pilot in Pakistan was neither dubious nor fake, and today our stance has been accepted,” the association said in its statement on Wednesday.
However, it noted that the whole episode had damaged the country’s aviation industry, caused national embarrassment and hurt the reputation of Pakistani pilots worldwide.
The secretary general of PALPA said the issue of licenses was mishandled by the minister, PIA management and PCAA.
Speaking to Arab News, Wing Commander (r) Muhammad Naseem Ahmed, an aviation expert, said the minister’s statement had shaken the foundations of the air travel industry.
“The damage to Pakistan International Airlines and the rest of the aviation industry is unspeakable,” Ahmed said, adding that statements on such sensitive issues should be made with utmost care.
“Even the total number of pilots allegedly carrying dubious licenses where changed several times,” he continued, adding that internal investigations were a routine matter everywhere in the world, and the government should have taken action against any pilot who was found guilty after proper inquiry.
Ahmed said that Pakistani pilots were well trained and highly skilled.
Contradicting aviation minister, Pakistani aviation authority says pilots licenses 'genuine'
https://arab.news/9fek7
Contradicting aviation minister, Pakistani aviation authority says pilots licenses 'genuine'
- The country’s aviation minister claimed last month that 40 percent of Pakistani pilots had ‘dubious licenses’
- Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority downplays the matter, accuses media of creating unnecessary hype around it
Karachi-bound bus crashes in fog, killing five in eastern Pakistan
- Motorway closure forced the bus onto an alternate route, unfamiliar to the driver
- Pakistan weather office reports visibility as low as 30 meters in parts of Punjab
ISLAMABAD: At least five people were killed and around 28 injured early on Wednesday when a passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan in eastern Pakistan, after the driver diverted from a closed motorway due to dense fog, police said.
Poor visibility during Pakistan’s winter months frequently makes long-distance travel hazardous, prompting authorities to shut motorways and major roads during severe fog to prevent accidents. However, traffic mishaps involving both light and heavy vehicles are not uncommon during such conditions, sometimes triggering multi-vehicle pile-ups.
“A passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan, killing at least five people and injuring around 28 others,” Adeel Sarfraz, a senior police officer and station house officer in the area near Chakwal, told Arab News over the phone.
“The accident occurred at around 2 a.m.,” he added. “Since the motorway was closed due to dense fog, the driver diverted the bus onto the GT [Grand Trunk] Road. However, the driver was unfamiliar with the route, and poor visibility caused by the fog led to the accident.”
Winter fog is a recurring hazard across Pakistan’s plains, particularly in Punjab and upper Sindh, where conditions can deteriorate sharply during late night and early morning hours.
Data shared by the Pakistan Meteorological Department earlier in the day showed extremely low visibility across several districts, with levels dropping to 30 meters in Narowal and Sheikhupura, 40 meters in Gujranwala and 50 meters in Faisalabad, Sialkot Airport and Toba Tek Singh.
Levels of 100 meters were reported in cities including Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Sargodha, while some southern Punjab districts recorded relatively better conditions at around 200 meters.
The weather office warned that moderate to dense fog is likely to persist over much of Punjab, upper Sindh and plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, advising travelers — especially those driving on highways and motorways — to exercise caution during nighttime and early morning hours.
Road accidents are also common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure, speeding and limited enforcement of safety regulations, with fog-related incidents adding to seasonal risks during winter.
