Pakistanis top List of asylum seekers in the UK

LONDON: Pakistanis top the list of nationalities seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom, ARY News reported, citing a UK report.

As per the UK report, Pakistanis ranked at the highest position on the list of 175 countries whose nationals have sought asylum in Great Britain.

Afghans are second on the list, followed by Iranians in third position.

According to the report that appeared in the UK media, as many as 11,000 Pakistanis applied for political asylum in the previous year.

A large number of these asylum seekers arrived in the UK using visas.

Pakistani students and those coming to the UK on work visas subsequently applied for political asylum.

Earlier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) decided to extend its flight operation in the United Kingdom (UK), following the resumption of services after a five-year hiatus.

According to a spokesman of the PIA, the PIA will operate one more additional flight to Manchester.

The spokesman apprised that starting from December 11, there will be a total of three weekly flights between Islamabad and Manchester.

The national carrier is also speeding up planning to run flights for the UK cities of London and Birmingham, the spokesman added.

The resumption of the Manchester flight on October 25, 2025, marked the first phase, with flights to London and Birmingham planned for the next phases.

The PIA spokesman informed the nation that the airline’s earnings have substantially increased after the opening of the European routes.

Earlier, adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali said on Tuesday that the privatisation process of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has entered its final stages and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Ali said the PIA privatisation process would be expedited in the coming days.

He added that work was also progressing on the privatisation of other state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including power distribution companies, where issues related to assets and pensions were being addressed.

According to sources, four consortia— Arif Habib Limited, Fauji Fertiliser Company, Airblue, and Lucky Group — have expressed interest in acquiring PIA.

These consortia have also requested the government to relax certain conditions in the bidding process.

Officials have clarified that PIA’s name will remain unchanged and that the national flag will continue to be displayed on its aircraft.

Meanwhile, PIA flight operations across the country came to a halt after aircraft engineers launched a protest against the management.

According to sources, the dispute between the national carrier’s management and the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) intensified, leading engineers to suspend the clearance of aircraft for departure.

The engineers announced they would not resume work until the attitude of the PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) improves, sources said. The protest has resulted in the grounding of several domestic and international flights.

The PIA CEO has reportedly directed the Chief HR Officer to take strict disciplinary action against protesting engineers. “Engineers responsible for flight disruptions must face consequences,” the CEO instructed, according to sources within the airline.