Pak's aviation body retracts baggage plastic wrapping decision

Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority has retracted its policy of mandatory plastic wrapping of all luggage at airports after widespread criticism and social media backlash. The CAA on July 17 introduced the policy of wrapping of baggage to increase compliance level with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

CAA Director-General Shahrukh Nusrat said that wrapping baggage, being done for "safety" purposes, was "mandatory". Passengers would have to pay 50 rupees per bag for the wrapping, Nusrat said in a statement. But critics tore through the decision after it was known that the contract for wrapping was awarded to the company of retired Air Marshal Shahid Latif, who regularly appears on TV talk shows as defence analyst and always speaks in favour of security institutions and government of Imran Khan.

Stunned by the reaction, the CAA issued notification on July 21 to declare that the earlier letter about wrapping should be "treated as cancelled ab initio with immediate effect." "What is the logic for this requirement…if this isn't legalised corruption," reacted an angry traveller on Twitter.

Asif Nawaz Shah, one of the social media users, termed the policy as a "corrupt profit-making endeavour". People also asked why the CAA was promoting use of plastic when the government announced to ban use of plastic bags in Islamabad from August 14. "Why is the #CAA destroying the #environment,” tweeted Ayesha Tammy Haq, who is a broadcast journalist.

Human rights minister Shireen Mazari who had criticised the mandatory wrapping said that was not a decision of the government. "The incorrect notification withdrawn - as I had said this morning it was never a federal govt decision. Will ask to have an inquiry as to how and who in CAA put out such a notification. All bureaucracy should know that Federal Govt means Cabinet! This issue never discussed!” she tweeted.