ISLAMABAD – Senate’s Special Committee on PIA, acting upon therecommendations of a subcommittee, on Wednesday directed the FO tovigorously pursue the matter of bringing PIA german National CEOHildenbrand back to Pakistan to face accountability.

The committee also remarked that co accused Akhtar’s retirement from thePakistan Air Force should be of no consequence in the investigation andthat the matter against the co-accused should be pursued to logicalconclusion.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which is already probing thematter on the directives of National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee,was urged to be diligent with its investigation and also asked to regularlyinform the Senate Secretariat on the progress of the case.

The report said the PIA management cannot be absolved in the scandal as itfailed to report the matter in a timely manner and only came alive when themedia and the parliament took notice.

The missing Airbus scandal came to light last year and created suchpressure that the incumbent air chief, Sohail Aman, had to issue astatement declaring that if Akhtar is indeed caught by NAB or the FederalInvestigation Agency, the air force would not stand by their man (who wasin service at the time).