Senate panel seeks details of PIA pilots

The Senate Standing Committee on Aviation on Thursday sought details of the pilots working with the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and was briefed on the functions of the Aviation Division and its attached departments.

The committee meeting, chaired by Hidayatullah, reviewed working procedures, budget, number of employees, challenges faced by the Aviation Division and its subsidiaries and the performance of the institutions.

Among others, the meeting was attended by senators Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah, Faisal Saleem Rehman, Mian Raza Rabbani, Aun Abbas, Faisal Javed, Saleem Mandviwalla, Afnanullah Khan, Dilawar Khan and Sherry Rehman, besides Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Aviation Secretary Ali, Adviser to CEO PIA Amir Hayat, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Director General Flight Lieutenant (retd) Khaqan Murtaza, Airport Security Force chief security officer, Pakistan Meteorological Department director general and other senior officials.

It also looked into the measures taken by the Aviation Division to improve performance of the attached departments and its future plans to tackle challenges confronted on the professional front.

It was the committee's first meeting after its reconstitution followed by the Senate elections.
Hidayatullah said the committee proceedings would be made more effective with mutual consultation of the members so that the confronted issues could be removed in an efficient manner. Senator Sherry Rehman said that the previous body had worked very hard and made some decisions which would have benefited, if implemented, in improving institutional affairs.

Aviation Secretary Shoukat Ali gave a detailed briefing to the committee on the Aviation Division's mission, subsidiaries, functions, organisational structure, number of employees, aviation budget and performance. APP