A Senate committee has ordered a probe into allegations of misconduct by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cabin crew and a parliamentarian.
The panel asked the Ministry of Defence to carry out an impartial third-party inquiry. The reported incident took place on flight PK-326 from Quetta to Islamabad. The directive followed a privilege motion moved by Senator Bilal Ahmad Khan Mandokhail on February 12, 2026. The case relates to alleged misconduct by a cabin crew member during the February 7 flight.
The Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges issued the order during a meeting at Parliament House. Senator Waqar Mehdi chaired the session.
Lawmakers expressed strong concern over what they described as PIA’s failure to follow earlier recommendations. They said the airline had relied only on an internal inquiry. The committee had already recommended on February 17, 2026, that PIA ground both the cabin crew member and the pilot. However, members noted that PIA did not implement those directions.
🇵🇰 Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure & Privileges, chaired by Waqar Mehdi orders third-party #probe into #PIA cabin crew incident on flight PK-326, decides crew & captain will remain grounded till inquiry completion.#SenateOfPakistan #Parliament #Accountability pic.twitter.com/Il34P9FGxK
— ꜱᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴀᴋɪꜱᴛᴀɴ 🇵🇰 (@SenatePakistan) April 7, 2026Senator Mandokhail said he was disappointed that the crew continued its duties despite the committee’s instructions. He added that the committee had offered several opportunities for an apology, but those efforts had gone unanswered. He said he had paid a substantial fare for the journey, only to face humiliation instead. He then questioned several actions during the incident
He asked why the staff had closed the aircraft door, why they had allegedly prevented passengers from leaving, and why they had called Airport Security Force personnel. He argued that no crime or illegal act had taken place to justify those steps. He also warned that if this could happen to a senator, an ordinary passenger could face even harsher treatment.
The senator initially recommended that authorities terminate both the cabin crew member and the pilot. However, the committee later adopted a different approach. Instead, it directed the Ministry of Defence to oversee a third-party inquiry. As a result, the matter will move beyond PIA’s internal process. The new inquiry is expected to examine the alleged misconduct and the airline’s response to the committee’s earlier directives.
