NA Panel Approves Major Changes to Pakistan’s Air Safety Investigation Law

Pakistan has moved a step closer to overhauling its air safety investigation framework after the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence approved amendments to the Pakistan Air Safety Investigation Act, paving the way for the legislation to be presented before the National Assembly.

The committee, chaired by MNA Fatehullah Khan, recommended the passage of the Pakistan Air Safety Investigation (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The proposed changes are aimed at addressing legal and administrative issues that emerged after the former Aviation Division was merged into the Defence Division in February 2025.

Before taking up the legislation, the committee offered Fateha for the martyrs of Pakistan’s armed forces in recognition of their sacrifices for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The bill proposes several structural reforms to strengthen Pakistan’s aviation safety framework. It renames the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) as the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation Pakistan (BASIP) to reflect its national role and upgrades the head of the bureau from Director to Director General.

The proposed amendments also relax post employment restrictions for temporary and part time employees to help attract aviation experts, while retaining restrictions for regular employees and full time investigators. It introduces shorter restriction periods for short term staff, allows the secretary of defence to grant exemptions where no conflict of interest exists, requires summary trials for offences under the law, and corrects technical drafting errors in the original 2023 legislation.

Beyond the legislation, the committee reviewed progress on the expansion of Skardu Airport, including work on extending the existing terminal and constructing a new terminal building. Members decided to conduct a site visit to assess the progress of the project firsthand.

The committee 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.