RAWALPINDI: Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, MNA and president of Awami Muslim League, on Friday had to face an embarrassing situation at Benazir Bhutto International airport when he was barred from boarding a PIA flight PK-781 leaving for Toronto, airport sources said.

The sources said as Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was checking in for Toronto flight; he was informed by the airline authorities that he can’t be allowed to travel as his name had been placed on ‘No-Fly’ list by the transportation security administration of the US Department of Homeland Security.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was scheduled to address a convention of his party on March 23 in Calgary (Canada).

But he was not allowed to travel after the PIA authorities were informed that his name had already been placed in no-fly list of passengers.

The Awami Muslim League president had found himself in a similar situation when he was denied visa to travel to India in November 2007 when he was federal minister for railway.

After Mr Rashid was denied the boarding card, he protested and termed it an unjust as he was going to attend a conference which was to be held on March 23.

When contacted, Mr Rashid expressed his astonishment and said he had valid visa for Canada and was going to attend a conference there.

“As I reached the airport, I was told that the airline authorities had received a message which said the said passenger is not “acceptable” and “off-load” him,” he said and added: “I think the government was behind the whole drama.”

The spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines dismissed the allegations of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s.

The spokesman said that the factual position was that at the time of check-in at PIA counter, the APIS (advance passenger information system) an online system of Transportation Security, the Administration US Department of Homeland Security did not give clearance for Sheikh Rashid.

This system clearance is a pre-requisite for all passengers for Toronto bound flights which fly over US airspace and after clearance the system generates boarding cards.

The system does not give any reason for non-clearance to the airline. The system check is followed not only by PIA but all other airlines.

PIA considers customer services as a paramount feature and all passengers are well taken care of.