SHC to hear pilots’ fake licences plea on priority basis

The Sindh High Court accepted on Wednesday the request to hear a plea pertaining to the fake licences of pilots on priority basis.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Khadim Hussain Shaikh and Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry, accepted the request.

The plea stated that four major air crashes had taken place in the country over the past four years and 98 people died in the most recent one, on May 22, when a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft plunged into a Karachi neighbourhood.

Citing the initial investigation report of the incident, presented by the aviation minister, the plea mentioned that the pilot and air traffic controller had been held responsible for the crash.

It further read, "The aviation minister claimed that 262 pilots in Pakistan held fake licences, which was a revelation at which international aviation organisations expressed concerns."

The plea moved the court to restrict the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from issuing new licences to pilots until a verdict is issued on the plea and order relevant authorities to suspend flight operations until the CAA issued a list of pilots.

The federal aviation minister, the Ministry of Aviation, CAA and others have been nominated as parties in the plea

The court agreed to hold the plea's hearings on priority basis.

Interim bails granted

Meanwhile, a single bench, comprising Justice Faheem Siddiqui, granted week-long bails to three accused of attacking the police, interference in state affairs and helping suspects in escaping.

At the hearing, the accused's counsel Advocate Liaquat Ali Gabol said that the accusation of his clients, Anwar Gabol, Shahid Gabol and Zabar Deen, helping suspects in escaping was false.

He also claimed that citizens had hurled stones at police and it was not his clients who had attacked the cops.

At this, the court granted interim bails to all three accused for a week, against a surety of Rs40,000 each.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2020.