PIA plane to bring back 44 Pakistani prisoners from Sri Lanka today

KARACHI: A special plane of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will leave for Sri Lanka on Tuesday (tomorrow) to bring back 44 Pakistani prisoners from the country, ARY NEWS reported.

The permission for a special flight was given by the Civil Aviation Authority after the foreign ministry and interior ministry sought permission for it.

According to the air transport wing of the CAA, the plane, PK-9872, would leave for Colombo on Tuesday and would return on the same day bringing back the prisoners.

The flight bringing back Pakistani prisoners from Colombo would also include six women inmates while 24 officials from NADRA and Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) would also be onboard the flight.

It is pertinent to mention here that the decision to bring back Pakistani prisoners from Sri Lanka was taken in a meeting summoned by the interior ministry on Thursday.

Senior officials of the Interior Minister attend the meeting to mull over measures needed to bring back Pakistani prisoners.

The meeting was also attended by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) high ups, IG Islamabad and Chairman NADRA, director immigration, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officials, Superintendent Adiala Prison, and Director Foreign Affairs.

Read More: Eight Pakistani prisoners repatriated after being released by India

Pakistani authorities have worked to bring back Pakistani prisoners stranded abroad and in a similar successful effort, at least 250 Pakistani inmates arrived at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore from Malaysia on board a Malaysian airline flight in May this year.

All the prisoners were shifted to quarantine facilities after screening for the novel coronavirus at the airport.