ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: The defence ministry has stopped a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) delegation from proceeding to China in connection with purchase of equipment for upgradation of radar network, sources revealed.

Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal issued an executive order to stop the CAA delegation from proceeding to China after the matter came to the ministry’s notice and allegations of irregularities in the purchase arrangement surfaced.

Certain quarters believe that the move was prompted partly because of concerns of the Europeans, who are also interested in selling their equipment to CAA.

The radar infrastructure currently being used by CAA is French. To support their contention the sources quote Mr Rao as having remarked that purchase of inferior quality equipment from China could endanger restrictions on country’s aviation industry.

CAA plans to spend Rs400 million on upgradation of its ageing radars and allied facilities and had shortlisted one of the Chinese companies for the purpose.

The plan envisaged addition of new features and upgradation of computers used in processing data from radars and an improved inter-communication voice system.

The Chinese firm had been shortlisted on the pretext that Chinese products were much cheaper than the European original equipment manufacturer.

The CAA delegation had been invited by the Chinese firm for demonstration of the equipment.

The ministry, it is said, got alerted when CAA sought permission for the travel of its delegation to China for assessment of the equipment.

Parliamentary Secretary Defense Major (retd) Tanvir Hussain, when asked, confirmed that CAA’s deputy director general and other officials were stopped from travelling to China.

CAA spokesman Mr Pervez George denied that the CAA delegation was stopped from travelling to China.

He said the defence ministry had been requested for permission and the approval was still awaited.