LAHORE - In a highly unusual case, a Dubai-allowed man landed in Canada in connivance with PIA staff last month, and claimed temporary protection there. Since then, the PIA authorities have been hushing up this incident, wherein the staff of airline’s Task Force were involved and the issue surfaced when Federal Investigation Agency arrested the travel agent and two officials of national carrier, an FIA spokesperson told The Nation on Sunday.
Preliminary investigation revealed a passenger, Muhammad Akram illegally travelled from Lahore to Toronto on June 16, aided by the PIA task force officials and travel consultants.
Akram, somehow, managed to get boarding cards of two flights: one for Dubai bound flight PK-203 and second for Toronto-bound flight PK-789. The passenger went through immigration process on his Dubai travel documents, while the PIA traffic staff issued another boarding pass for Toronto that was handed over to him in waiting lounge, an FIA investigator told this scribe.
As two flights were departing from Lahore that day, with only two-hour difference. The Dubai bound flight’s departure time was 9:30am, whereas the flight for Toronto was scheduled for 7:30am. Before the Dubai flight took off, he had already boarded the flight destined for Toronto. Soon after stepping his foot on Canadian soil, he claimed asylum. Although he was given the temporary protection, the immigration authorities informed PIA about his illegal transportation to their country.
On July 23, while taking action on the illegal activity, an FIA team took Asif Arzani and Hamad Butt of PIA task force, and travel consultant Nasir Mahmood into custody.
Usually when a passenger travel illegally to any international destination especially to Europe or America, immigration authorities intimate and fine carrier airline. In this case, the Canadian authorities informed PIA about the illegal transportation of passenger through Canadian High Commission and imposed fine of 3200 Canadian dollars the very next day.
However, PIA Lahore Manager Saleem Shahani, who is also the Deputy General Manager of Inadmissible Cell and Task Force, remained unmoved and no inquiry was initiated in this effect. Well placed sources in PIA have said the Canadian High Commission was reaching the Inadmissible Cell for last three weeks, seeking the travel record or other details of the passenger but nobody was responding.
When contacted, PIA spokesman Amir Memon said an inquiry has already been initiated. The team was comprised of Lahore District Manager Saleem Shahani and Manager Security Services Saeed Khan. “The PIA management has asked the inquiry committee to submit its report on Monday (today),” he added.
But a senior PIA officer found it intriguing that the national flag carrier chose the same officer involved in patronising the accused for the inquiry committee.
When this scribe contacted FIA Director Dr Usman Anwar, he said the agency had obtained physical remand of the accused from court for four days and were interrogating. “Investigation is in process and we are viewing the case with different angles,” he said, adding more PIA officers were expected to be grilled.