Thirty-one fighter aircraft
have crashed while on normal operational missions from
2000 to 2003, Federal Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal
told the Senate .
The information was placed before the
house in a written reply to a question raised by Senator
Prof Ghafoor Ahmed. The minister submitted that seven
pilots died during the four years and four were injured
during ejection.
According to a year-wise break-up, two
pilots died in 2001, one in 2000, two in 2002 and two
in 2003 while two were injured in 2000 and one each during
2001 and 2003.
Nine aircraft crashed in 2001 and 2002
and six in 2000 and seven in 2003. Though the make of
the aircraft had not been mentioned, they included F-7,
A-5 and Mirage.
About the precautions taken to avoid the
recurrence of these accidents, the defence minister said
that recommendations from board enquiries to operational
training syllabus and technical developments were taken.
He said that Rs 229,7055 had been paid
in compensation for the damage incurred by these accidents
in various parts of the country.
The defence minister informed the house
that 39 people had been inducted in the Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) on contract during the last four years.
“Of these 39 people, 31 are from the armed forces,
while eight were hired from the open market,” he
added.
Among those inducted were CAA director
generals, Air Marshal (r) Salim Arshed and Air Marshal
(r) Pervea Akhtar Nawaz.
Meanwhile, State Defence Minister Dr Wasim
Shehzad agreed with the opposition senators’ point
of view that the figures for impounded vehicles, arms
and narcotics from Makran division were not satisfactory
and that he would take up the issue with the officials
concerned in the next meeting.
