It has been revealed that a doctor, deaf with one ear, has been recruited as head of medical department at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.

Quoting sources, the channel reported that while CAA DG Khaqan Murtaza had justified the appointment of Dr. Wudoodullah Afridi as medical department head, the Authority’s book of statutes clearly states that the recruitment was made against the rules.

Dr. Afridi will issue ‘fitness certificates’ to pilots as well as members of flight crew.

Sources further told 24News that the CAA might face difficulties in conducting accounts’ audit given that the doctor was deaf with one ear.

CAA officials, on the other hand, have said that Dr. Wudoodullah Afridi, who had worked at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as a junior doctor, had been selected on ‘merit’.

They have further said that Dr. Afridi will only take the tests of pilots and will not fly planes with them as is perhaps being understood.

They went on to add that a person using instruments for hearing was not ineligible for any kind of job.

It is not clear whether the CAA DG is unaware of the Authority rules or he has sanctioned recruitment without taking it into account that there is no justification for the appointment of a man as medical department head in CAA whose hearing is half impaired.

Reporter Usman Javed