The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) is one of the two agencies resulting from the division of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

[1] This creation was prompted by the necessity to address the demands made by the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to lift the ban on Pakistan Airlines.

Improving safety investigation practices and procedures was a critical step towards meeting the standards required for the removal of restrictions on Pakistan Airlines by international aviation authorities.

[4][5][6] Despite recommendations from foreign experts, the federal government has yet to implement the suggestion to make the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Safety Investigation Board (SIB) an independent body.

Although the board was detached from the Ministry of Defence, the proposed plan to grant it independence and separate it entirely from direct government supervision, by placing it under the prime minister's oversight, has not been acted upon and remains pending.