Special PIA flight brings 300 deportees from Malaysia today

Published December 31, 2019
A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight will bring 300 Pakistani deportees from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. — Abid Hussain Mehdi/File
A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight will bring 300 Pakistani deportees from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. — Abid Hussain Mehdi/File

RAWALPINDI: A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight will bring 300 Pakistani deportees from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

PK-9895 is expected to arrive at Islamabad International Airport (IIA) at 1pm on Tuesday.

Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said: “PIA will operate a special flight from Kuala Lumpur on Dec 31 to bring back Pakistani expats from Malaysia who were released due to PM’s efforts.”

PIA Public Relations General Manager Abdul Hafeez told Dawn that some of the Pakistanis were illegal immigrants and some were involved in petty crimes and had completed their sentences. However, they had no money to travel back to Pakistan.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken up the issue of the Pakistanis with his Malaysian counterpart Dr Mahathir Mohamad that led to their release.

No other airline was ready to bring back such a large number of people so PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik announced a special flight to bring back the Pakistani nationals, he added.

Mr Khan and senior officials of Foreign Office and PIA are expected to receive the Pakistanis at the IIA.

On May 30, as many as 320 Pakistanis stranded in Malaysia mainly because of the closure of Pakistan airspace for foreign airlines arrived in Islamabad on a special flight.

Some of the Pakistanis had been detained by Malaysian authorities as their residence permits and tickets had expired due to closure of Pakistan’s airspace.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had made special arrangements to facilitate the Pakistanis at the IIA.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Unstable outlook
Updated 28 Jan, 2025

Unstable outlook

Improving indicators can be tempting enough to act boldly to accelerate economic growth. But must the SBP do so and repeat past blunders?
‘Poor’ lawmakers
28 Jan, 2025

‘Poor’ lawmakers

WHILE the average Pakistani is expected to carry the burden of austerity as he struggles to put food on the table,...
Digital security
28 Jan, 2025

Digital security

A RECENT advisory issued by the National Telecommunication and Information Technology Security Board has caused a ...
Trumpian purge
Updated 27 Jan, 2025

Trumpian purge

For Trump and his MAGA support base, these moves are necessary to preserve what they view as the American way of life.
World Bank’s view
27 Jan, 2025

World Bank’s view

PAKISTAN is at a critical point. Inconsistent and poor economic policies of the past have had an adverse impact on...
Learning losses
27 Jan, 2025

Learning losses

WHEN thermometers in Lahore hit 48°C last May, it led to closures across the region. From Dhaka to Manila, some ...