Ministers offloaded: PML-N MNA insists technical fault delayed PIA flight
PML-N MNA alleges media aired videos without investigating into the incident
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani spoke vehemently on Wednesday against alleged mistreatment as he was offloaded from a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK-370 flight two days ago.
“The flight was not delayed because of me, there was a technical fault,” Vankwani insisted, while addressing the media outside Parliament House.
“When I reached the airport at 6:15am, I was told that it will take-off at 8:30am instead of 7:00am,” the MNA alleged referring to the Islamabad-bound flight he was offloaded from along with former interior minister Rehman Malik by other passengers for being the apparent cause of delay.
In videos recorded via mobile phones that went viral, Vankwani is seen walking into the plane with his carry-on, greeted not just by the usual sight of crew and smiling air hostesses, but by a group of angry passengers.
Vankwani censured PIA for not releasing a statement on time to clarify that he and the PPP senator were not the reason of the delay.
“The PIA crew did not even provide us with security as they saw a former minister (Rehman Malik) leave,” he censured.
Speaking out against the incident, the MNA also pointed out that making videos on aircraft is against the policy of Civil Aviation Administration.
“The media aired the videos without investigating into the incident,” he said.
"I, myself, am against VIP culture," he said.
The MNA, who was seated in first class, was surrounded by visibly and audibly livid passengers and forced to leave despite his protestations. A few minutes after Vankwani was forced off, Malik was greeted with chants of ‘go back’ before he could even enter the plane.
In a statement issued by PIA on Tuesday, the airline said the plane’s 150 passengers were delayed due to technical issues. The statement said, “The plane was delayed for one hour and 30 minutes (and) passengers were informed accordingly. However, the flight was delayed by an additional 20 minutes due to two parliamentarians who arrived late on the aircraft but were off-loaded.”
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani spoke vehemently on Wednesday against alleged mistreatment as he was offloaded from a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK-370 flight two days ago.
“The flight was not delayed because of me, there was a technical fault,” Vankwani insisted, while addressing the media outside Parliament House.
“When I reached the airport at 6:15am, I was told that it will take-off at 8:30am instead of 7:00am,” the MNA alleged referring to the Islamabad-bound flight he was offloaded from along with former interior minister Rehman Malik by other passengers for being the apparent cause of delay.
In videos recorded via mobile phones that went viral, Vankwani is seen walking into the plane with his carry-on, greeted not just by the usual sight of crew and smiling air hostesses, but by a group of angry passengers.
Vankwani censured PIA for not releasing a statement on time to clarify that he and the PPP senator were not the reason of the delay.
“The PIA crew did not even provide us with security as they saw a former minister (Rehman Malik) leave,” he censured.
Speaking out against the incident, the MNA also pointed out that making videos on aircraft is against the policy of Civil Aviation Administration.
“The media aired the videos without investigating into the incident,” he said.
"I, myself, am against VIP culture," he said.
The MNA, who was seated in first class, was surrounded by visibly and audibly livid passengers and forced to leave despite his protestations. A few minutes after Vankwani was forced off, Malik was greeted with chants of ‘go back’ before he could even enter the plane.
In a statement issued by PIA on Tuesday, the airline said the plane’s 150 passengers were delayed due to technical issues. The statement said, “The plane was delayed for one hour and 30 minutes (and) passengers were informed accordingly. However, the flight was delayed by an additional 20 minutes due to two parliamentarians who arrived late on the aircraft but were off-loaded.”