The pilot of Shaheen Airline’s plane which crash-landed in Lahore was supposedly kidnapped from his house in Karachi in the wee hours of Sunday.
According to sources, Captain Asmat Mehmood, who lives at Khayaban-e-Rahat in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area of Karachi, was taken away by around 12 unidentified persons who broke into his house.
Darakshan Station Police denied having any knowledge of the incident.
However, the pilot’s family has alleged he was taken away by policemen in plain clothes who manhandled him. “He was taken away in a police mobile,” his wife was quoted as saying.
“Punjab police has taken away my husband. Around 12 personnel broke into our house at 2:30 am and started beating him before they dragged him outside,” she added.
Mehmood’s wife further claimed that the airline accused her husband of taking drugs in order to claim insurance money, saying her husband is a practicing Muslim who never faced any such issues in the past.
On Friday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had said Captain Mehmood was drunk and fatigued as he flew the plane. “The allowed blood alcohol concentration level for pilots is 0.03, but the [flight NL-142] pilot’s was 0.83 at the time [of the crash],” a CAA official said.
At a meeting between representatives of airlines and CAA Director General Amjad Ali Toor, the authority put forward a preliminary medical report of the crew of flight NL-142. “Medical investigation reports of cockpit crew of Shaheen Air International flight NL-142 just after the incident revealed that the pilot in command had unacceptable level of blood alcohol and lactate. Lactate indicates the pilot was fatigued.”
On November 3, flight NL-142, carrying 121 passengers and crew, made an ‘emergency landing’ at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. It touched down heavily causing its tyre to burst and skid off the runway. While there were no casualties, at least 10 passengers suffered minor injuries as luggage in the overhead bins fell on them.
