The National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence on Thursday recommended that the House pass the Pakistan Air Safety Investigation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at removing statutory inconsistencies arising after the February 2025 merger of the Aviation Division into the Defence Division.
The meeting, chaired by MNA Fatehullah Khan at the Parliament House, began with Fateha for the martyrs of the armed forces.
According to the committee, the proposed law introduces structural and regulatory changes intended to improve efficiency in Pakistan’s aviation safety system. Under the amendment, the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation would be renamed the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation Pakistan, while the head of the bureau would be redesignated as Director-General.
The bill also proposes changes to post-employment restrictions, limiting them to regular employees and whole-time investigators, while allowing the secretary defence to grant waivers on a case-by-case basis where no conflict of interest exists. It further calls for summary proceedings in offences to ensure quicker disposal of cases and seeks to correct drafting errors in the existing 2023 law.
Separately, the committee reviewed progress on expansion work at Skardu Airport, including extension of the existing terminal and construction of a new one. Members decided to carry out a site visit to inspect the project.
The panel also directed the Ministry of Defence to submit a detailed progress report at its next meeting on the establishment of free monthly medical camps for civilian communities living near defence installations.
