Peshawar-Lahore direct flight to begin on November 9, says K-P governor

Says the journey between Peshawar and Lahore will take around 50 minutes to one hour by air

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday announced that a direct flight between Peshawar and Lahore would begin on November 9, providing air connectivity between the two cities.

In a statement, Kundi said the new route would improve connectivity for residents of the province, particularly those who travelled to Lahore for business and other purposes.

He said the journey between Peshawar and Lahore would take around 50 minutes to one hour by air, compared with the longer travel time by road.

Kundi said a direct flight from Peshawar to Quetta had already been launched, while efforts were underway to establish further air links with other parts of the province.

He said the proposed connectivity would include Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral and Parachinar, adding further that the initiatives were aimed at improving connectivity across the province and developing Peshawar into a modern city.

In a separate event, Kundi addressed a ceremony in Peshawar and said the provincial government had been taking steps to improve the healthcare sector, provide facilities to doctors and hospitals, and establish a strong healthcare institution.

He welcomed all domestic and foreign delegations attending the event and said the province was facing various challenges, including terrorism and problems arising from terrorist incidents.

He said measures had been taken to improve the health department and that the public would soon notice improvements in the sector.

The governor said a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officer had been killed in Peshawar the previous day. He said police were investigating the incident and that no one involved would be spared.

Read: NADRA officer gunned down in Peshawar

Kundi said work had also been underway to protect polio workers and eradicate polio. Intelligence-based operations were being conducted against terrorists, he said, adding that efforts to eliminate terrorism would continue until the last drop of blood.

He said a full-fledged operation was not being conducted against terrorists.

Referring to the provincial government's performance, Kundi said the 13 years of what he described as mismanagement under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could not be undone in 13 days.

Kundi said the anti-encroachment operation would continue. After widening roads, operations would also be carried out in markets, he said.

He added that separate spaces would be allocated in the city for street vendors. However, if anyone had been treated unfairly during the anti-encroachment operation, they would be compensated.