LAHORE - The Aviation Division has started an inquiry into the allegations levelled against him by several senior officers about the alleged ill attitude of Civil Aviation Authority Director General Air Marshal (r) Asim Suleman towards them.
The officers complained they are facing a harsh attitude from the chief of their organization. They demanded his medical examination, raising questions about his mental health. The signatories include senior directors of the CAA.
On Friday, dozens of CAA officers joined hands with the senior officers to support them over their stance regarding the CAA DG’s attitude.
The letter was signed by dozens of officers, urging the authorities to take notice of unfair treatment they are facing from the director general. The officials also claimed repeated humiliation by Air Marshal Suleiman has caused heart problems for some of the staff. They also pointed out that the negative attitude could adversely affect the institution’s functioning in the long run.
The letter said the behavior of the director general is extremely inappropriate and requires action against him. He added the work atmosphere is abrasively disrupted because of the frequent misgivings caused by the DG’s behaviour.
“The CAA DG reprimands all officers and staff, terming them incompetent and unprofessional,” said the letter. Several offices have applied for medical leave while a few have requested early retirement or have adopted other options of escape owing to his extremely improper attitude. The officers claim harassment is not limited to the CAA staff as the CAA DG also humiliates consultants, designers, contractors, other stakeholders and people of the organisations working with CAA.
On Friday, several officers from Air Traffic Controllers Guild (PATCG) joined hands with already protesting senior officers and, in a letter, said they tried several times to meet the DG to convey to him the significant issues related to the air traffic control, but could not succeed due to his non-serious attitude.
Furthermore, PATCG also wanted to share their concern on the issue of strong penalties levied on controllers without considering International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines on human factors and safety issues, which has ultimately caused stress and chaos among the ATCOs.
The PATCG stated they fully support the stance of the higher management against the DG and request an early action over the matter in the larger interest of the CAA.
When contacted, the spokesman for the Aviation Division said the matter has been taken up by the division and decision will be made on merit.