ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privilege has taken strong notice of a missing housing file in Islamabad and poor conduct by a national airline’s crew, directing quick action against the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and grounding of PIA staff over passenger mistreatment.
The committee met with Syed Waqar Mehdi in the chair at Parliament House on Tuesday. The committee discussed various issues, including a missing file of the CDA and different privilege motions filed by senators.
The committee discussed the case of a missing file related to House No 622 in Sector I-10/4, Islamabad. The committee was told the matter is in court. However, the chairman criticized the CDA for troubling the current house owner instead of taking action against the original person responsible. The committee observed that CDA was not amicably pursuing the matter and appeared to be penalising the fourth party currently in possession of the house, instead of proceeding against the actual culprit, i.e., the first owner.
Showing serious concern over CDA’s handling of the case, the chairman ordered the authority to issue a temporary No Demand Certificate (NDC) to the present owner until the court gives a final decision. The CDA was also told to finish the matter quickly and submit a report. The chairman said such issues damage the authority’s reputation.
The committee held a detailed discussion on a privilege motion moved by Senator Bilal Ahmed Khan regarding alleged misbehaviour by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cabin crew during a flight to Quetta.
The committee strongly condemned the behaviour of cabin crew from the PIA after a complaint of misbehaviour during a flight to Quetta.
Members said such treatment of passengers — whether senators or ordinary people — is unacceptable, especially since travelers pay for respectful service. The committee was also unhappy that PIA cleared the air hostess in an initial inquiry without even hearing the complainant.
Angered by the reported threats and rude behaviour, the chairman ordered that both the air hostess and the flight captain be grounded immediately. He also directed that the concerned crew members, the Airport Security Force’s Chief Security Officer, and PIA’s station manager appear before the committee.
Other privilege motions
Discussion on a motion against the Federal Minister for Communications was postponed because the senator who raised it is out of the country. Another motion by Senator Umer Farooq was closed after he withdrew it.
The committee also took up a complaint against the Vice Chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) for repeatedly missing Senate committee meetings. The chairman stressed that attending committee meetings is mandatory as they represent Parliament. The matter was delayed for now, but a full report on the vice chancellor’s absence was demanded, along with instructions to attend future meetings.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026