Pakistan

PIA suspends flight operations to Bangladesh till March 10

PIA spokesperson cited harassment of airline crew and passengers as reason for suspension

Web Desk February 27, 2015

PHOTO: REUTERS

Pakistan International Airlines suspended flights operations to Bangladesh on Friday till March 10, owing to harassment of crew and passengers by Bangladeshi security agencies.

“We have suspended flight operations to Bangladesh till March 10,” a PIA spokesperson said, according to Express News.

Citing harassment of PIA crew and passengers as the reason for suspension, the spokesperson added: “The protest will continue till action is taken.”

On Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said they have contacted the Bangladesh High Commission seeking clarification the harassment of crew and passengers.

Read: Pakistan seeks clarification from Bangladesh on harassment of PIA crew, passengers

According to PIA sources, Bangladeshi intelligence officers have been harassing PIA officials for the past two months. Yesterday, PIA flight PK-266 was delayed for three hours for security checks.

PIA Station Manager Ali Abbass was also held by the security forces in Bangladesh and was later deported to Pakistan. Several raids have also been conducted on the houses of PIA officials on suspicion of smuggling fake currency.

COMMENTS (28)

zara haq | 9 years ago | Reply oh plz allow this comment why unnecessary censorship. I mistakenly wrote Noor khan was first managing director of pia. It was wrong he came after four years. But he is the brain behinds it's success.

zara haq | 9 years ago | Reply @Abdur Rahman: Also do u want me to point out which other illegal business is India on top in the world? ..I would be happy to point out." Which??????? plz telllllllll?

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Abdur Rahman | 9 years ago | Reply @Modified--- Talking about "Digging Old News" I am sure you are aware that Air India's crew members don't like smuggling drugs (these days) they are interested in gold smuggling! That is what they hide in toilets and other places u cud think of! So much so that there is increasing security concern Internationally over letting Indian crew members pass without security checks! Previously Indian airline crew members have been REPEATEDLY caught stealing wine..(eg http://archive.mid-day.com/news/2008/sep/020908-air-india-crew-detained-stealing-hearthrow.htm) Indian flight crew members have also been caught smuggling 1400 cigarette cartons in UK! http://www.heathrow-airport-uk.info/heathrow-airport-news-080605 Digging news on currency; multiple Indian nationals have been caught circulating fake Nepali currency in Nepal... Also do u want me to point out which other illegal business is India on top in the world? ..I would be happy to point out.

zara | 9 years ago | Reply @Faisal: That is not a news but an article that too about India and Pakistan. Hope you understand but I doubt.

Gp65 | 9 years ago | Reply Is Bangladesh the first country that has accused PIA staff of smuggling in contraband? @MJ: Your experience is very unfortunate. There is no excuse for such a breach of privacy. Do accept apologies from a fellow Indian.

zara haq | 9 years ago | Reply @Sandip: I see indians more miserable because of TNT theory than us.

MJ | 9 years ago | Reply I am a Pakistani living in the US. I used to visit TOI and make decent comments on stories mostly to do with cricket because I am a big Rahul Dravid & Dhoni fan. Once I wrote a comment where I expressed my opinion that Tendulkar was not the best cricketer in India but Dravid was. Soon someone tracked my IP and posted a reply that I am probably a "Paki" who is posting from US. Then I started getting offensive and hate mail on my email account, most probably from the moderators of TOI. I have stopped reading that paper online it has lately turned in a trashy tabloid anyway.

amir jafri | 9 years ago | Reply Bangladesh should have called itself Pakistan ( it was in majority 55%) by asking UN to kick out what is today called Pakistan..Have you ever heard of a majority seceding? What is called Pakistan today is nothing Islamic ..it is controlled by the slaves of the British through legacy of its army and bureaucracy ....proud of english language , western dress, and other cheap behaviour. Is it any wonder it is looked down with contempt and scorn even by the smallest of African nations. Green Passport is zaleel eveywhere..because of its westoxicated "elite" in control.

zara haq | 9 years ago | Reply @Sandip: No Sir ,if your government will stop exporting all TNT and RDX to our soil things would be, if not exactly, but still quite closer to being rosy for us. Anyways, Pia used to be one of the best airlines in world in 60s 70s.The 1965 war hero Air Marshal Noor khan was the first appointed Director of it. And he is the one who took it to unthinkable heights with his amazing vision. And it is Pia that had designed the model of emirates airline. the downhill journey is painful but by removing nepotism, over hiring over packed staff, adding new fleet,better service this airline could be thrown back into better league. And if brains from new generation are put to right work on this it wouldnt be so hard. And i am not talking about marketing here. Its quality.

Burki | 9 years ago | Reply @Hilarious: It's in fact hilarious to see the irony of you choosing your screen name and then the stuff you're posting here in a state of denial. So you started counting Modi related news here? well what can I say about your dedication (read obsession) to come over to a Pak news site, and religiously keep track of news items. Glad you like majority of your fellow Indians have found the sole reason for your existence in this world. Tribune actually deleted all together some Indian guy's comment here wherein he like most of you all, was trying to link this particular instance of PIA - Bangladesh to problems in India - this is the level of your paranoia and obsession with everything and anything Pakistan. But hey .... but obviously you've the right to continue living in state of denial. Tribune: Please publish this in order to properly counter the above mentioned poster's points in this discussion.

Sandip | 9 years ago | Reply @zara haq: On a lighter note, TNT has really proved to be explosive for Pakistan. And the explosions continue to this day from the TNT used then.

Tahir | 9 years ago | Reply @ Hilarious -- the point was that there is nothing about India in this news, yet someone by name of Deepak from India poked his nose and maligned PIA for no reason except his visceral hatred for Pakistan and ET gave him space on the page. Indian newspapers do not give any space for comments from Pakistanis despite your tall claims of free speech and democracy.

Hamood | 9 years ago | Reply I wouldn't waste a single second of my life commenting on Indian newspapers. I never go there in the first place. I have always wondered at the sheer volume of Indians on Pakistani newspapers. My advice to them is to get a life and spend it on something constructive rather than being obsessed with Pakistan.

zara haq | 9 years ago | Reply Faisal and rest, plz dont bother with these trolls. They seem like they are paid for the propaganda they do here. Have no sense of self respect. No good knowledge of history and current affairs. Just some paranoia and buttload of propaganda lies they are tasked with dumping here. Its just simple they dont believe in two nation theory. They say on our face here we dont accept Pakistan, its sovereignty. they have been trying to negate TNT for ages, and in their bid to do so they only reinforce it more and more. Their hatred for muslims is so visible as one of theirs said somewhere here that poverty in india is because of muslims. When bangladesh separated indira had said today TNt has sunk in indian ocean. And she was proved wrong. Bangladesh never went back to india and still resists. And they have a brave army i think that will defend their land. Since independence jitna time india has spent on trying to absorb pakistan and sitting focussed on it, if it had spent on herself well india would not have been in the state it is now. And one more thing ,pia still flies direct flights to new york usa. Due to losses it was considering halting operations but not due to usa having any issues with pia or anything like that. And i am no fan of pia but nowhere worldwide pia is checked specifically for security as someone lied, yes they did face extra checks on uk airport. Was in news recently but was nothing like harrasment these lame bengali officials are doing. So yes right action. Return all these bullies in the same note.

Faisal | 9 years ago | Reply @Hilarious Just checked Times of India, and in "Top Stories" the fifth story is titled, "Don’t expect much from envoy’s Pak visit: India". Didnt bother checking the rest of the website or the The Hindu after that since you were insistent on claiming that there is not even a single article. Perhaps you need to add a bit of credibility to your side.

Abdur Rahman | 9 years ago | Reply Somebody tell Mr. @Hilarious that this article is NOT about Modi or about the irritating mosquitos which bite Indians at night! This article is about ' Pakistan Airlines ' Why don't you go and read / comment on whats up with ur own airlines? For example : about Air India's rude staff http://www.india.com/stream/air-indias-insensitive-and-rude-staff-watch-video-of-air-india-staff-refusing-entry-to-passengers-with-valid-tickets-284489/ or about the Indian Pilot who assaulted an Engineer! Btw Modi ws being covered in Pak papers becs he started with his venomous outbirsts against Pakistan. Indians have elected a known terrorist as their leader. We can only pity on them. Mr. Hilarious is just playing the ' denial game ' here. Even Indians accept that their news and Media is obsessed with Pakistan (especially the local newspapers and media in Delhi). This obsession is very old http://www.theglobalist.com/india-focus-on-china-not-pakistan/

Rashid | 9 years ago | Reply @Tahir: Yeah censorship! The country hasn't yet reached the stone ages. Let's push it on its way, shall we?

Hilarious | 9 years ago | Reply @ All By the way, I just scanned the websites of Times of India and The Hindu - nope, not one piece of news on Pakistan. Not One! Now, I challenge anyone - show me one day - One Day! - when India is absent from Pakistani news websites....

NADEEM | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistan should not be angry for the behavior of Bangladesh govt has adopted against Pakistan children's normally do these kind of mistakes they are spoiled by their nabours

Rashid | 9 years ago | Reply What will happen on the 10th? Some white knight will descend from heaven and save PIA's honour?

ModiFied | 9 years ago | Reply To all my Pakistani friends who think we Indians are obsessed with Pakistani news papers. Yes we are and the reason is that many of our troubles have their origin in Pakistan. Pakistan is a source of trouble not only in the region but the word as a whole. Its well known that PIA staff is involved in narcotic smuggling. If you dig out old news, they were caught even in UK where narcotic was found in airplane toilets. Counterfeit currency notes of many countries originate from Pakistan. Finally, we read this paper ( which is a international New York Times publication and not exclusively a Pakistani on our computers and not on Pakistani soil. Online news papers are as much ours as yours.

Hilarious | 9 years ago | Reply @Burki: Ah irony! Glad you brought that up - even though I sense you don't quite know its meaning. You also obviously didn't read my post - "just like any other country" Seriously? You must know to count - go to your websites on any given day and count India related articles. Compare those with Pakistan related articles on Indian websites. While you're at it, do count the news on any other country on your websites. Maybe the truth will hit you then... You don't " swarm, rush, falling over each other, flooding Indian news sites with nonsense posts" because there really aren't many articles you can froth over. Because you see, Pakistan matters very little in our daily lives - maybe as much as an irritating mosquito disturbs our sleep. Now India on the other hand appears to be keeping all of you up all night - who knows what Modi may do, right? I had begun counting the number of articles on Modi in ET after May 16 2014 - but gave it up. There were just too many. There is a word for it now - Modibsession - very apt for you guys. @Abdur Rehman Your comment is too funny to rebut!

Abdur Rahman | 9 years ago | Reply @Hilarious ---Mr. Hilarious ur obsession with everything happening in Pakistan is obvious from ur hate-filled comment in which u r trying to 'rebutt' every single comment tht u deem is directed at you/indians. Ever have a chance of counting the word 'Pakistan' in ur every day TV news? Its always more than you use your own country's name! Indian trolls bad-mouth (what they are best 'educated' at!) on each and every 'Pakistan-related news' and as u said somehow consider it their "moral obligation" to comment on it(setting the records straight)!

Burki | 9 years ago | Reply @Hilarious: yóu don't see the irony of your own name and the comments you posted .. hilarious! The news about India are in the perspective of World news, just like any other country. We have no such infatuation of wasting every living moments of our lives posting hateful unrelevant comments about minutest things happening on the other side of the border, and even when do comment, we post in a Pakistani news site. We don't swarm, rush, falling over each other, flooding Indian news sites with nonsense posts which are nothing but just your brainwashed venomous hate that's been fed to you from day one through your twisted versions of history, media, politicians and military .. just like that Indian Navy guy creating a big drama.

Hilarious | 9 years ago | Reply @Tahir: Its very simple, Tahir. Instead of asking ET to stop publishing our comments, why dont you ask ET to stop reflecting your obsession and complex about India and providing a ball by ball commentary of everything that happens in India, even when said news has nothing to do with you? I can understand articles which are news worthy, but 60% of your mindspace seems to be devoted to India and our problems. You don't honestly expect news about India to go un-commented by us - not when we must set the record straight? @Lord of the Ring Accept it, we have a population more than 6 times yours. If you compare the educated lot, the ratio becomes much higher. So if it comes to rebutting, especially in an Indian newspaper, you guys dont stand a chance. Best solution - read my advice to Tahir above.

Lord of the Ring | 9 years ago | Reply @Tahir: 100% Agree and not only that but the Indians collectively abuse any Pakistani who dares commenting in any of their news websites Cursing them that how they dare c comment on an Indian site while here our inferiority completed pseudo intellectual liberal media considers its honor to place Indians' comments abusing us in our home as well

zara haq | 9 years ago | Reply Great! Deepak you dont have a life and country of your own. So sad. Plz ask usa to donate a land to indians obsessed with pakistan losing their senses. And plz concentrate of indian manufactured defense and all other products. Your products quality and electronics are worst than even chinas. infact china is all in a better league. Plz take care of your affairs because if india gets wiped off worlds face noone is gonna miss it. Not even srikant obama chatterjee.

Tahir | 9 years ago | Reply ET -- Your are very generous in allowing Indians to post comment on your pages. Indian newspapers never let even a sane comment from Pakistan to be posted. Wake up ET editors and curtail all Deepaks.

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