NEW DELHI – The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India is investigating more than 4,000 pilots associated with national carrier, Air India, and others for holding fake pilot licences.
The directorate, according to KMS News, has admitted that pilots working for Air India, MDLR and Indigo airlines have been arrested so far over the charges.
The massive scandal surfaced after an investigation was launched following a rough landing by woman pilot, Parmandar Kaur Galati, at Goa airport. Later, the probe found that she was holding a fake license as she failed the tests seven times.
Indigo airline pilot, Kaur Gulti was also arrested on charges of tempering with his mark sheet to obtain a pilot’s license. Recently, Captain JK Verma, the pilot of India’s national airline Air India, was arrested.
Police have confirmed the arrests of the pilots, stating they have been arrested after receiving names for the country’s aviation watchdog.
Naseem Zaidi, India’s secretary of aviation, said the directorate was investigating the licences of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots with reference to fake pilots.
In order to obtain a pilot’s license in India, a pilot has to clear three subjects.
The mega scandal has landed Indian in an awkward situation as it faced when Narendra Modi government’s tactics to malign Pakistan were exposed by EU Disinfo Lab.
EU Dinsinfo Lab
The independent watchdog’s report revealed that over 750 Indian backed websites spread across 119 countries have been operating to undermine Pakistan since the last 15 years within the European Union and the United Nations.
EU DisinfoLab’s investigation, called the Indian Chronicles, revealed that the Srivastava Group launched and backed the operation while Indian new agency ANI boosted it.
The campaign started in 2005 and still continues to operate. New Delhi wants to use this network to discredit countries in conflict with it with a specific focus on Pakistan and to an extent on neighbouring China.
The report highlighted that the operation’s long-term objectives was to promote content against Pakistan and China, and consolidate India’s power at international forums such as the EU and UN.
According to EU DisinfoLab the project supports minorities, human rights NGOs, and think-tanks. It added that the project also gives the impression that the minority groups in Pakistan and China have institutional support from European institutions.
At the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, the operation was used to arranges side-events and demonstrations in support of minority rights, impersonate extinguished UN-accredited NGOs and use speaking slots reserved to various NGOs whose original missions seem unrelated.
The investigation showed that fake news was created in Brussels, Geneva and across the world , repackaged and disseminated via ANI and obscure local media networks to at least in 97 countries leading to a multiplication in the online negative content about countries in conflict with India.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/pakistan-rejects-indias-attempt-to-deny-eu-disinfolab-report/
