RAWALPINDI: Despite the government’s repeated claim to end the VIP culture, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has detailed five of its officials on the exclusive protocol duty of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

“A year ago, the CAA came under the direct control of the Cabinet Division after being separated from the defence ministry. The posting of the five officials on the protocol duty with the defence minister is against the law as no other minister even the minister for the cabinet division, Sheikh Aftab, has this facility,” a senior official of the CAA told Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

According to a notification issued on June 5, 2015, Pervaiz George, senior joint director public relations, was appointed as the protocol officer for the defence minister in Karachi for the Sindh zone; Abdul Khalid in Quetta for the Balochistan zone; Kamran Malik in Lahore for the northern region; Naeem Ahmed in Islamabad for the Islamabad and northern zone, and Mohammad Jehangir Khan in Peshawar for the KP zone.

The official said the special protocol facility was provided to the defence minister despite the fact he already had protocol officers from his own ministry. He said the detailing of senior officials on the exclusive protocol duty with the minister had raised eyebrows. The basic work of the CAA is to regulate airlines and protect the rights of the passengers, he added.

Khawaja Asif is the only federal minister who has such a large number of officials on his protocol duty

“The protocol officers receive and see off the minister at airports besides handling his luggage in coordination with the airport staff and airline officials,” he said.

The official said former defence ministers Naveed Qamar and Ahmed Mukhtar had two officials on their protocol duties when the CAA was under the ministry of defence.

It may be mentioned that the VIP lounges for national and international flights have been closed at all the airports. In Islamabad, Rawal Lounge used to be reserved for the VIPs but two months ago it was converted into a business class lounge to be used only by members of parliament and business class passengers.

The CAA has deployed Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel on the main gate of the lounge to stop the staff of ministers and members of parliament from entering the facility. “To end the VIP culture, the CAA has also introduced fast-track counters so that the passengers can get boarding cards without any delay,” said the official.

On the one hand, the federal government has been claiming to end the VIP culture and on the other Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s close aides are getting more VIP status at airports, he added.

He said the rulers wasted funds on the renovation of the Benazir Bhutto International Airport instead of completing the construction of the new airport at Fatehjang.

A senior official of the Cabinet Division told Dawn that the government officials would perform protocol duties as and when required but assigning them on the protocol duty with the minister was against the law.

When contacted, CAA spokesman Pervaiz George, who has also been appointed as the protocol officer for the minister in Karachi, admitted that the officials were asked to perform protocol duties with the defence minister. “It is not a new development as in the past the minister also got protocol. But it is on the basis of as-and-when-required,” he said.

When asked if other ministers had the same facility, he said it was not in his knowledge.

Despite repeated attempts, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif could not be contacted as his mobile phone was switched off.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2015

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