No official intimation about narcotics recovery from PIA plane: Mehtab

ISLAMABAD, May 17 (APP): Adviser to the Prime Minister on Aviation Division Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi Wednesday said there was no official intimation about the recovery of narcotics from a PIA aircraft in London.
Addressing a news conference here, he said media reports claimed that the British authorities had recovered narcotics from flight number PK-785 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), that had reached London from Islamabad on May 15.
“I am extremely concerned as to why the British authorities did not officially share the incident with Pakistan,” he remarked.
He said the PIA authorities time and again attempted to get official confirmation from the British Border Security and National Crimes Agency officials, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, he said, the Pakistani High Commissioner to London had been asked to approach the British authorities and get actual and official stance on the incident.
Mehtab said an inquiry had been ordered under Secretary Aviation Division Irfan Elahi to probe the reported incident in a transparent and impartial manner. It had also been decided to include experts from other relevant departments in the investigation, he added.
He confirmed that the PIA plane had been thoroughly checked and its crew was held for about eight hours, but Pakistan was not informed about it.
Terming the reported incident ‘regrettable,’ the adviser said it was a matter of Pakistan’s dignity and vowed to take the case to its logical end.
In the past, he admitted that the national flag carrier had faced such cases but exemplary punishments were not given to the culprits. The PIA had been a victim of mismanagement and needed thorough reforms, he added.
Mehtab said all such cases which had been sent to the cold storage in the past would now be taken up for their logical conclusion, so that the culprits behind them were brought to book.
“Now, no one will be allowed to use the PIA for their nefarious designs and bring bad name to the country,” he said.
Mehtab offered the United Kingdom to constitute a joint investigation team to probe, if any contraband had been found from the PIA aircraft.
Answering a question, the adviser said right now he could not confirm the details until the same were not shared with Pakistan.
Replying to another question, he said a high level meeting would be convened on Thursday to look into the matter thoroughly and take necessary action.