Senate Panel Orders Independent Probe Into PIA Cabin Crew Conduct on Quetta-Islamabad Flight
By Bilal Haider :
A Senate committee has directed the Ministry of Defence to conduct an independent third-party investigation into alleged misconduct by a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cabin crew member during a domestic flight involving a parliamentarian.
The directive was issued during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges held at Parliament House on Tuesday, chaired by Senator Waqar Mehdi. The matter relates to a privilege motion submitted by Senator Bilal Ahmad Khan Mandokhail earlier this year following an incident on PIA flight PK-326 travelling from Quetta to Islamabad on February 7.
According to the complaint, Senator Mandokhail alleged inappropriate behaviour by a cabin crew member during the flight. The committee noted that in its earlier recommendations issued on February 17 it had asked the airline to ground both the cabin crew member and the pilot involved in the incident while the matter was investigated.
However, members expressed concern that the airline had not implemented those directives. Lawmakers criticised PIA officials for what they described as a lack of compliance with the committee’s instructions and for relying solely on an internal inquiry without involving the complainant.
During the meeting, Senator Mandokhail said he was disappointed that the staff involved had continued performing their duties despite the committee’s earlier recommendations. He said several opportunities had been given to the crew member to apologise if any mistake had occurred, but no such response had been received.
The senator also questioned the circumstances surrounding the handling of the incident, including why the aircraft doors were closed, passengers were reportedly prevented from leaving the plane and Airport Security Force personnel were called to the scene.
He argued that no criminal activity or unlawful situation had occurred that would justify such measures. The senator added that if such treatment could happen to a member of parliament, ordinary passengers might face even greater difficulties in similar situations.
Initially, Senator Mandokhail had called for the dismissal of both the cabin crew member and the pilot. However, the committee later agreed that the matter should be examined through an impartial investigation. As a result, the Ministry of Defence has now been asked to arrange an independent inquiry into the incident.
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