Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the highest audit body in the country, to investigate the terms of appointment and salary of the PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad International) CEO Musharraf Rasool Cyan, The Nation has reported.

Nisar gave the order after a hearing in a case launched at his own initiative regarding an "air safari", a special sightseeing flight over the Himalayas organised recently by the flag carrier out of Skardu. According to Nisar, 42 out of the total of 112 passengers on board the special flight were invited guests who did not pay any airfare, although other reports indicated that in total 72 tickets were issued for free, mostly to officials from PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PKCAA). On top of the alleged financial loss caused to the airline, the "air safari" also led to operational issues affecting passengers at Skardu as it significantly delayed their departure to Islamabad International.

"You will pay for the tickets of the guest passengers from your own pocket," Nisar told Cyan during the hearing.

The Chief Justice also criticised PIA for high airfares to Skardu, which are detrimental to the growth of tourism in the area.

Skardu is the largest city in Gilgit-Baltistan, a province in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir disputed by India. According to the ch-aviation capacity module, PIA is the sole airline serving the city; it operates 7x weekly to Islamabad.

The Chief Justice also issued a contempt of court notice to PIA for continuing to repaint the aircraft in a new livery despite an earlier ruling by Nisar which banned it.

Nisar started a number of high-profile cases against PIA earlier this year, wherein he criticised the debt-ridden airline for mismanagement, poor strategic choices and lack of transparency. In mid-May, he ordered the airline to provide a detailed report on the financial and operational situation. He also barred PIA from repainting its aircraft unless the carrier could demonstrate that it would be both justifiable economically and would not cause too much operational disruption. Nisar also prohibited the government from selling shares in the flag carrier without prior explicit consent from the court.

The Pakistani government had earlier hoped to find a private investor for the currently fully state-owned carrier during the first half of 2018. Over the last 17 years, the airline has lost a total of PKR260.39 billion rupees (USD2 billion).