RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ordered the suspension of officials, including the airport manager, according to the regulations, taking into account the mistreatment of passengers by the personnel of the Airport Security Force (ASF) at the Airport Islamabad International.
The incident occurred on October 17, when a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Saudi Arabia to Peshawar was diverted to Islamabad due to bad weather. After landing at the airport, passengers had to wait several hours due to the bad weather that led to their protest.
The dispute between passengers and ASF staff began when the latter tried to prevent protesters from leaving the airport hall, as some of the passengers wanted to reach Peshawar by road.
In addition to ordering their suspension, Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings against them for not treating the situation in a professional manner.
The prime minister also ordered the suspension of the PIA station manager and the other members of his team who were on duty at the time. In addition to their suspension, disciplinary action against them was also suggested.
An investigation board headed by Brigadier Irfan Zafar, director of the Airport Security Force, was instructed to initiate proceedings against officials responsible for ASF under the Pakistan Army Act of 1952 and complete the process within the ten days after October 23.
Earlier on Wednesday, Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar also ordered an investigation into alleged passenger handlers by airport security personnel.
Posted on Dawn, October 31, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1513860/pm-orders-suspension-of-islamabad-airport-officials