PIA bans chalia, supari on Turkiye flights

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has imposed a ban on carrying ‘chalia and supari’ on flights to Turkiye and also issued instructions to all flight attendants, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The PIA’s General Manager of Flight Services Aamir Bashir issued a notification regarding the ban on the carriage of chalia (areca nuts) on Turkiye flights.

Turkiye has enforced strict laws where chalia and supari have the status of narcotics.

The notification read that carriage and consumption of Areca Nuts (chalia and supari) is banned in Turkey as per Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) advice. According to Turkish laws, it falls under the category of narcotics.

READ: ARY NEWS EFFORTS BEAR FRUIT, TURKIYE RELEASES PAKISTANI YOUTH FROM JAIL

The airline’s management directed to ensure the areca nuts are neither carried nor consumed while operating flights to Istanbul.

Earlier in September, a Pakistani tourist had landed in jail in Turkiye for carrying ‘chalia and supari’.

The 26-year-old Owais had been arrested in Turkiye on September 15. Owais’ family had appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to play the role for his release.

Later, the efforts of ARY News bore fruit as Pakistani youth namely Muhammad Owais was released from Turkiye jail in November after being arrested for carrying ‘chalia and supari’.

An Istanbul court had issued release orders for the Pakistani youth Muhammad Owais who had been jailed in Turkiye for carrying chalia and supari. On a humanitarian basis, ARY News had aired the report of a Pakistani tourist namely Owais’ arrest on October 17.