LAHORE: Pakistan’s last direct air link with Central Asian states was broken after Uzbekistan Airways suspended its Lahore operation for an indefinite period.

No other foreign or local airline is operating direct flights to and from any of the Central Asian states, thus forcing passengers bound for the region to take connecting flights from the Gulf.

Uzbekistan Airways, which suspended its Lahore-Tashkent operation recently, has not offered any reason for the decision on its website.

However, official sources told Dawn that mutual visa restrictions between Uzbekistan and Pakistan had lowered the passenger volume, thus leaving the airline with no other choice but to wind up operations in Pakistan.

“That there have been some instances of Pakistanis slipping away into Uzbekistan is one of the main reasons for the visa restriction imposed by the Uzbek government. Pakistan is also extra careful in allowing in Uzbek men and women,” a source in the foreign ministry says.

Pakistani businessmen and students are among those affected by the suspension of the air link. “We would export goods weighing 10 tonnes every week to the Central Asian states through the Lahore-Tashkent flights.

Our textile and handicraft goods have a good market over there,” Pakistan Air Cargo Agents Association President Tahir Malik says.

“The transport expenditures have doubled since the direct air link with Tashkent was suspended.”

Mr Malik adds: “We have to get the cargo booked through connecting flights in the Gulf for the Central Asian states. Since we have no direct road link (with the region), the government should give a go-ahead to the national flag carrier to operate on these routes to facilitate the business community.”

He points out that Nepal is also a major market for Pakistani goods, but there is only one small aircraft flight from Karachi, which does not have ample capacity for cargo.

At one time in the 1990s, PIA used to operate flights to and from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. However, eventual reduction in passenger volume was the main reason for the national carrier to suspend its operations indefinitely.

“Not only students and businessmen but general tourists and travel agents in Pakistan have also been affected by the denial of direct air link with Central Asia,” Travel Agents Association of Pakistan former president Mirza Ishfaq says.

“Travel agents would do good business by giving options to passengers travelling to Europe [via] Uzbekistan Airlines due to its cheap fares.

This option does not exist anymore,” he says, adding that tourism between the two countries had come to a virtual halt after the suspension of the Lahore-Tashkent flight.

Sources said PIA had asked some Central Asian states to give it Fifth Freedom Rights (collecting passengers from their countries en route to European destinations) but the request was refused.

Interestingly, the Nawaz Sharif government in its previous tenure had given these rights to some foreign airlines under the Open Skies policy. The policy is opposed by some who say it is costing PIA dearly.

PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar says the national airline would consider resuming direct flights to Central Asian states provided they were economically viable.