Summary The jumbos will fly on Friday and return 2,000 pilgrims from Jeddah.
Dunya News Report (Jibran Dost)
ISLAMABAD: According to a spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the management has organized four Boeing 747 jumbo planes to return home Pakistani pilgrims abandoned in Jeddah because of the cancellation of PIA flights due to the on-going protest in the country against privatisation.
In addition, the spokesman expressed that a concordance with the Saudi Airlines has been reached. The jumbos will fly on Friday and return 2,000 pilgrims from Jeddah. On the way back, the plane would take the same number of passengers to Jeddah for Umrah.
On the other hand, Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached an understanding regarding the privatization of the national carrier.
According to the Ministry of Finance and Privatisation, the understanding to postpone the privatisation of the PIA by 6 months was reached during the last meeting that took place in Dubai.
The understanding was reached in the middle of the violent demonstrations that took place in Karachi over the past two days. The chief of the IMF mission in Pakistan, Herald Finger, cancelled his planned visit to Islamabad.
Meanwhile, passengers with confirmed PIA tickets were granted hotel lodgings by the airline in Jeddah and different cities of Pakistan, the spokesman further added.
At the same time, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has accepted Chairman Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Nasir Jafar’s resignation today (Thursday).
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman Nasir Jafar while talking to Kamran Khan on his programme ‘Dunya Kamran Khan Key Sath,’ declared his resignation after the firing incident that took place in Karachi protest on Tuesday.
During the programme, Jafar expressed that he did not deserve to stay the chairman of PIA anymore. He also added that he had asked the Joint Action Committee to avoid of the spilling of precious blood.
Furthermore, he stated that he will be in complete support of the organisation even after the resignation and asked Captain Sohail Baloch to negotiate with the government and resolve the matter through negotiations. He also arranged a meeting for Cpt Baloch with Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
Earlier this week, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons were used as law enforcers engaged in an attempt to deter the protest of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees against the privatization of the national carrier on February 2.
