ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to terminate agency employees responsible for physically assaulting passengers at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA).

“The FIA personnel committed a criminal act by physically assaulting a passenger. The FIA denied a legitimate passport holder with a boarding pass permission to board the aircraft, which is also a criminal act. The FIA personnel must be punished under criminal act and not for misconduct,” Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Asad Umar said at a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Division.

The committee met to discuss a recent incident in which FIA employees confiscated the passport of a Norwegian national travelling on a Pakistan International Airlines flight and then physically assaulted her.

Agency officials told the committee that the constable, Ghazala Shaheen, who assaulted the passenger and another immigration official, Noshila, have been suspended and a departmental inquiry into the incident has been initiated.

An FIA official said the shift in-charge at the hospital was also suspended for not intervening and letting the situation spiral out of control.

In response, Mr Umar said: “Suspension means nothing.”

“The responsible staff must be terminated from service immediately,” the committee chairman, PML-N MNA Rana Mohammad Hayat Khan, directed.

According to the FIA, an agency official at the immigration desk misbehaved with a passenger travelling to Norway. The situation worsened with the passenger lost her cool and a heated exchange followed. The FIA official told the committee the argument apparently began when the passenger requested a roll of tissue paper in the ladies’ room and the FIA employee rudely declined to assist.

“The passenger tried to grab the FIA official by her uniform and used abusive language. Nonetheless, beating the passenger is in no way justified. The FIA condemns such acts. Airport staff represents the government and under no circumstances can officials mistreat passengers. In this case, the FIA officials should have exercised restraint,” an FIA official said.

Video footage of the incident showed the passenger being dragged by her hair by the FIA employee, who also hit her several times.

In its findings, the FIA noted that agency staff were aggressive towards the passenger. The FIA officials confiscated the passenger’s passport without authorisation. Officials from the Civil Aviation Authority, Airport Security Staff and One Window Facilitation Desk also failed to intervene, while the office in charge was found guilty for letting the incident escalate.

Most of the committee members were critical of the incident, and complained about the behaviour of staff at all local airports. PML-N MNA Rana Mohammad Qasim Noon said: “Manhandling passengers at airports by the FIA is a common [occurrence] almost every day.”

While some members suggested more training for agency employees, Mr Umar said the problem should be treated as endemic in the FIA.

FIA Additional Director Pervez Ahmed told the committee members that a procedural investigation against the personnel responsible was almost finalised. “The necessary action against the staff will be taken as the committee has directed. The responsible staff will be terminated from service,” Mr Ahmed said.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2017