162 passengers stranded as Afghan officials stop PIA plane at Kabul airport

ISLAMABAD/KABUL: The passengers faced serious trouble for being stranded inside a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 162 people on board by Afghan officials at Kabul airport, ARY News reported on Monday.

Sources said that the Afghan authorities stopped the PIA plane for more than 2.5 hours to take off without assigning any reason. During the period, all passengers were not given permission to get out of the plane, making them stranded inside the plane for hours.

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Sources revealed that the discriminatory action was allegedly taken against the Pakistani airline as the planes from foreign airlines are taking routine flights without any delay using the same runway at the airport. After spending 2.5 hours, the PIA aircraft was given permission to use a smaller runway for taking flight.

The matter was resolved after the issue was raised by the Pakistan officials through using diplomatic channels in Istanbul to bring out passengers from the misery of being stranded inside the plane. It is pertinent to mention here that the top leadership of Afghanistan is currently present in Turkey’s capital to attend the Heart of Asia Conference.

Read: FO summons Afghan envoy to convey concern on diplomats harassment

Later, the PIA plane left the Kabul airport to Islamabad.

Earlier in November, intelligence officials had harassed Pakistani diplomats in Kabul despite many assurances by the Afghan foreign ministry.

Some vehicles of Afghan security officials, without bearing a registration number plate, hit the vehicles of Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul and harassed the diplomatic officials, said sources.

The diplomatic sources said that the security officials were likely the members of Afghan spy agency and they deliberately hit the vehicles of Pakistani embassy.