Islamabad, 12 Oct 2023:In a recent meeting presided over by Convenor, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, the Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation dove into an in-depth analysis of the Civil Aviation Authority’s adherence to government pay scales and pension emoluments, revealing discrepancies and violations of authority concerning financial regulations and public funds. According to information provided by the Senate of Pakistan, a focus was placed on the lack of increase in pension emoluments for Civil Aviation employees, probing into the adherence to the government pay scale in 1983 and the rules applied by Civil Aviation in the year 2000.

Upon investigation, the committee disclosed substantial misalignments between the board and the Civil Aviation Organization, with evident financial overreaches prompting disapproval due to the misuse of public funds and violations of authority. Matters of organizational governance were highlighted, with a particular emphasis on the necessity of audit committees and proper financial oversight.

Defenses were raised by both the Ministry of Aviation officers and former Deputy Director, Anees Rehman, citing previous practices and adherence to federal government policies, albeit with variations. However, with issues brought to the forefront by petitioners and inquiries into methods of pension calculations before and after 2014, the committee concluded with a unanimous decision to summon the board in the subsequent meeting and a directive to ensure consistency with federal government policies, eradicate existing systemic issues, and rectify the erroneous financial practices observed.