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Monday, October 14, 2024

CAA withdraws ‘mandatory’ baggage-wrapping policy

People criticized the policy, suggesting it had been introduced to enrich an unnamed company tasked with the wrapping. Senior PTI leader Jehangir Tareen also tweeted that the “illogical notification issued by the CAA” should be withdrawn.

News Desk |

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has retracted its decision to make plastic-wrapped luggage compulsory at all airports in Pakistan. The policy was withdrawn after it received criticism from passengers, politicians, and environmentalists.

People criticized the policy, suggesting it had been introduced to enrich an unnamed company tasked with the wrapping. Others suggested the quantity of plastic needed was wasteful.

Wrapping baggage was now “mandatory”, and it was being done for “safety” purposes. Passengers would have to pay Rs50 per bag for the wrapping, Nusrat had said in a statement.

Ayesha Tammy Haq, a lawyer, and broadcast journalist, asked the Minister of Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam and Prime Minister Imran Khan to withdraw the notification.

Senior PTI leader Jehangir Tareen also tweeted that the “illogical notification issued by the CAA” should be withdrawn.

Minister of Human Rights Shireen Mazari also tweeted that the notification is wrong and that it was never discussed in the cabinet. She added that there would be an inquiry to investigate who let the CAA issue the notification. Later, she tweeted that the notification was withdrawn.

Aslam called the notification “absurd” and, later, thanked the CAA for taking back its decision.

A notification issued on July 18 said that all check-in baggage of international and domestic passengers was to be wrapped with plastic sheets at the initial stage of scanning at search counters of the ASF, ANF, and Customs.

Shahrukh Nusrat, director-general of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said Saturday that wrapping baggage was now “mandatory”, and it was being done for “safety” purposes. Passengers would have to pay Rs50 per bag for the wrapping, Nusrat had said in a statement.

Read more: Pakistan reopens its airspace for all traffic – including India

While criticizing the move, an angry traveler tweeted: “What is the logic for this requirement … if this isn’t legalized corruption.” Asif Nawaz Shah, another social media critic, called the new policy a “corrupt profit-making endeavour”.