RAWALPINDI: Soon the airports will be cleared for US airlines as a United States team recently visited Pakistan to review security arrangements at airports of the country.
This was said by Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan at a press briefing at the Parliament House.
A US security team had already visited the new Islamabad International Airport to review security arrangements put in place by the authorities, he said.
The minister said the debt-ridden Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had been facing shortage of aircraft. However, while giving details of business plan of the airlines, he said five aircraft would be inducted into the PIA every year and a Boeing 777 adding that an Airbus A320 had already been inducted into the airline in June.
Sarwar said that while he was in favour of wrapping of baggage of air travellers in plastic sheets, which was mandatory in the world, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on its own had issued a notification in this regard. He said that he had ordered an inquiry against the official who had issued the notification.
The minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had highlighted the Kashmir issue (during his US visit) in a befitting manner, which had been appreciated by the Kashmiris across the world. He added that PM Khan’s role was vital in solving the Kashmir issue and restoring peace in Afghanistan.
Sarwar termed the prime minister’s visit to the US “the visit of a statesman after former president Ayub Khan’s visit”, saying that during the visit US President Donald Trump deemed Pakistan a great nation. Sarwar said under the accountability process legal action had been initiated against former president Asif Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges, adding that in the past nobody had dared to initiate legal action against influential people.
Referring to the no-confidence motion against Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, he appealed to the opposition parties to withdraw the motion in the best interest of the country.
The minister said that the opposition was observing a ‘black day’ on Thursday “because of their bad deeds” whereas the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf would celebrate “Yaum-i-Tashakkur” (day of thanks) on the same day.
