The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, while expressing annoyance with the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials, said that the incidents where drugs were recovered from PIA’s flights were giving a bad name to the country in the world. The meeting of NA Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat was held with Chairman Rana Muhammad Hayyat Khan in the chair at the Parliament House.
PIA officials while briefing on the incidents in which 30kg of heroin was recovered from Europe and Dubai bound aircrafts said that the PIA’s air hostess had pointed out 27kg of heroin concealed in Europe-bound aircraft’s toilet.
Officials further informed the committee that three crew members of the aircraft had been fired over the incident.
They said that 3kg of heroin was recovered from a Dubai-bound flight, adding that Pakistan Custom Department and Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) were investigating the matter.
An ANF official said that Pakistan Customs is probing the incident of the recovery of heroin from the Europe-bound flight.
Customs Chief Ikhlaq Khattak informed the committee that PIA’s administration or its crew did not recover the heroin. He said the aircraft had to land at Karachi Airport due to some technical problems where the Pakistan Customs, on the tip-off checked the aircraft and recovered heroin.
The committee chairman said that it is matter of concern that the persons responsible have not been identified even after eight months. The committee asked the high-ups of the Ministry of Interior, the FBR chairman and the PIA chairman to attend the next meeting.