ISLAMABAD: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that during the course of verification of educational credentials, degrees of 16 pilots and 65 cabin crew members of different airlines had been found bogus and their licences suspended accordingly.

During the hearing of a case related to the verification of degrees of officials of airlines operating in the country, the CAA’s counsel told a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar that verification of degrees of six officials was pending as they were abroad.

The court disposed of the case directing the CAA to arrange verification of credentials of the remaining staff from abroad.

The bench remarked that the court never wanted to deprive anyone of legitimate earning, therefore, the record on the basis of which the CAA had suspended the licences must be accurate.

In response, the CAA told the court that the fake degree holders had the right of appeal.

Justice Nisar said that an impression prevailed that the authorities were acting in “haste” on the matter of educational credentials because of the court orders. “We do not want to prohibit anyone’s livelihood,” he added.

Appearing before the court, a pilot complained that his licence had been suspended though his degree was not fake.

The chief justice, however, directed all airline officials to approach the relevant forums with their grievances.

During a hearing in December, the CAA had informed the top court that degrees of seven pilots of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had been found to be bogus and five of them had not even passed matriculation examination.

According to a report submitted by the additional attorney general in the court earlier, there are 3,667 pilots and cabin crew members in the four local airlines.

Earlier in March last year, the aviation division minister had submitted a written reply to the National Assembly, stating that 659 employees of the PIA hold fake degrees and 391 of them have been sacked.

The minister had said that around 251 employees are waiting for their cases to be heard and official investigations were underway in cases of 17 such employees.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2019