KARACHI: Rejecting the list of its members holding fake licenses, Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (PALPA) is all set to go to Supreme Court.
Earlier, those pilots whose names appeared in the list were asked to deposit one lakh rupees to finance the litigation. PALPA correspondence hold: “All pilots whose name is on the alleged suspicious license list are requested to deposit Rs. 100,000/- by Monday, July 6, 2020 (Other than the monthly PALPA Subscription). Those who have already deposited Rs. 50,000/- are requested to deposit the balance of Rs. 50,000/- by the due date.
“All members whose name is not on the list have been requested to deposit as much as they can as this is a matter of dignity for all pilots. Their contribution will be highly appreciated for this just cause. Therefore any delay in the deposit will affect the case. We also stress the importance of unity during these trying times.”
Meanwhile, President of IFALPA, Captain Jack Netskar, stated: “The international pilot community is deeply concerned about the unfounded statements made by the Pakistani Minister for Aviation declaring that many Pakistani commercial pilots hold licenses that, in his words, are ‘fake’. We find these statements on the brink of being reckless not just for the individuals named, but for Pakistan and its ability to continue operating international air services.
“We are not here to blame but to provide our expertise to find the truth…Any of these problems, perceived or real, need to be immediately dealt with for the sake of aviation safety; an interest we all keenly share. With respect, we strongly believe that those problems can only be addressed effectively at this point with the participation of independent international bodies such as IFALPA, IATA and ICAO.
“It is our desire to see PIA return to its historical place as an aviation leader in the region. We want this for the people of Pakistan, the employees of PIA and our PALPA colleagues.”
It is pertinent to mention here that PALPA is a member of IFALPA that happens to harbor over 140,000 professional pilots in some 100 countries.
The controversy commenced recently, when Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan had revealed that as many as 262 pilots, out of total 860 in the country, had ‘suspicious flying licences’, who would be grounded immediately.
“Their [pilots] licences are doubtful due to certain reasons, including dates of examinations, which were not working days. There are some pilots, who did not appear in any paper, out of eight, but managed to get the licences.
“Among them are those working with the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Airblue, Serene, private clubs and foreign airlines.”
The minister said such an irregularity could not be committed sans connivance of the licence issuing authority and the information technology personnel, and the government had reached those ‘characters’ among them ‘some are internal and some external.’ “Now our hands are on their neck and they too will not be able to escape.”
He said the government had decided that all such pilots would be issued show cause notices and charge sheets so that they could not fly any plane. “They will be grounded immediately.” Sarwar said criminal proceedings would also be initiated against the fake licence holder pilots as the government could not allow anyone to put the lives of its citizens at risk.
During the degree verification process, he said, educational credentials of around 600 employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), including four pilots, were found fake.
