The Shehbaz Sharif-led government has decided to drop an investigation into former PTI aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan's controversial statement in parliament that led to a ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to several countries.
The law ministry had initially proposed an investigation into the circumstances and motives behind Khan's remarks, suggesting that responsibility be fixed and legal action be pursued.
However, sources revealed that the government advised the fact-finding inquiry committee to focus only on assessing financial losses and reputational damage rather than pursuing legal action, to avoid unnecessary international scrutiny.
Certain Cabinet members stated that the facts in the statement had been exaggerated due to internal rifts between Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
During a recent cabinet meeting, ministers expressed serious concerns over the repercussions of the former minister's statement. Some cabinet members pointed out that internal rifts between PIA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had led to exaggerated claims in his remarks.
It was further observed that drawing more attention to the issue could be detrimental, especially since Pakistan's aviation industry is recovering after years of setbacks. PIA flights to Europe have resumed, and both the UK and the European Union are conducting aviation safety audits to consider lifting the ban on flights to the UK.
Pressing the issue further at this stage could do more harm than good. Resultantly, the fact-finding inquiry committee was urged to stick to evaluating financial losses and reputational damage, steering clear of legal action or assigning blame – moves that could invite unwanted international attention.
The cabinet was informed that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had previously heard a petition from an individual claiming that Khan's statement had caused reputational damage to PIA. The petitioner sought Khan's disqualification as a member of the National Assembly.
However, IHC refrained from intervening in the matter, stating that the court was mindful that the prime minister and the cabinet members "will not hesitate in proceeding against a minister or any other official if they are found involved in any manner that causes harm to the interests of the state or the reputation of professional pilots and the national flag carrier".
In light of the court's observations, the cabinet had refrained from taking up the matter. Consequently, the law ministry proposed that the cabinet establish a fact-finding inquiry committee with the terms of reference to investigate the circumstances and motives behind Khan's hasty statement and assess the financial losses incurred by the national exchequer.
The committee's mandate further included evaluating the reputational damage caused to the country and the national airline, as well as determining the appropriate legal course of action by identifying responsibility.
The cabinet considered a briefing on a legally tenable proposal, presented by the Law and Justice Division, to investigate the reasons behind the statement made in Parliament regarding PIA pilots in 2020.
Consequently, it constituted a cabinet the committee.
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