ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday took notice of pilots flying planes without proper licences.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed summoned a reply from the Director-General of Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) within two weeks on how these bogus licences were issued and the action being taken against them.
The top judge remarked that placing lives of passengers at risk is a crime. He also summoned the heads of Pakistan Internation Airlines (PIA) and private airlines Air Blue and Serene Air at next hearing. The airlines have been told to submit reports verifying the licences of their employed pilots.
A day earlier, PIA has announced to ground nearly 150 out of its 426 pilots amid an inquiry that they hold dubious licences or failed to receive proper training.
Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had said 262 pilots, out of total 860 in the country, have suspicious flying licences and would be grounded immediately.
The minister said licences of these pilots are dubious and some pilots did not even appear in any examinations of tests but managed to get the licences.
He informed that the government has decided that all such pilots would be issued show cause notices and charge sheets so that they could not fly any plane.
Sarwar said criminal proceedings would also be initiated against pilots with fake licences as the government can not allow anyone to put lives at risk.
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