Aviation Division Merges with Defence Ministry as Pakistan Streamlines Government Structure

The federal cabinet has finally consented to the rearrangement of the Aviation Division joining it with the Defence Ministry, thus making a huge change in Pakistan’s administrative structure. The Ministery of Defence has approved the new rules, under which some of the most important aviation institutions, such as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and Airport Security Force (ASF), are instructed to report directly to it.

As a part of a government-wide rationalization program, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented a plan to perform the two-phase restructuring of several ministries. The first phase witnessed six ministries of which the Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, SAFRON, Information Technology, the entities were decreased down to 40 from 80, and the Capital Development Authority was omitted from the list of ministries.

The second phase targets four more ministries to be restructured: Science and Technology, Commerce Division, Housing and Works, and National Food Security and Research. These measures are expected to close 25 entities, reduce 20, and merge or shift nine others, thus completing the instructions of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on efficiency and expenditure control.