ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Wednesday approved of a report probing the circumstances in which a PIA Airbus A310 was sold to a museum in Germany in violation of rules and regulations.
The report emphasised that the former acting CEO of the national flag carrier should be brought back to Pakistan and made part of the investigation.The report was prepared by a subcommittee of the Senate’s special committee which was formed to look into the performance of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The subcommittee under Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar was set up in response to a calling attention notice moved by Senators Shahi Syed, Saleem Mandviwalla, Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini and others.
The special committee’s chairman Pakistan Muslim League-Functional’s (PML-F) Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah said the report prepared by the subcommittee should be placed before the Senate for debate during the ongoing session.
Briefing the committee, Mr Babar said the former CEO Bernd Hildenbrand was allowed to leave Pakistan for a month despite the fact that his name had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
“The German embassy had guaranteed the return of Mr Hildenbrand and it must be asked to bring him back,” he stressed.
The committee was informed that Mr Hildenbrand was allowed to leave Pakistan by the then minister for interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on the request of the German embassy.
The report endorsed ongoing inquiries into the plane’s sale by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The report pointed out that the show-cause notice issued to PIA’s former director of procurement and logistics, retired Air Commodore Imran Akhtar, did not reach its logical conclusion.
“Action can be taken against the former air force officer under the law. The show-cause notice issued to Mr Akhtar must reach a logical conclusion,” said the PPP senator.
Mr Akhtar, who is the brother of retired general Rizwan Akhtar, also faces allegations in the A310 sale.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Abbasi conceded that the German CEO had committed a wrongdoing.
“The former acting CEO Bernd Hildenbrand did not qualify for the position,” said Mr Abbasi, adding that the Airbus’s sale had been stopped.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2018
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