Khawaja Asif attributes the demise of PIA to PTI leadership.
According to Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, the national airline, PIA, suffered billions of rupees in losses as a result of a careless remark made by the former aviation minister during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) era.
He claimed that Ghulam Sarwar and Imran Khan, the founder of the PTI, combined to turn PIA into a cemetery.
Speaking at a press conference after Pakistan’s name was taken off the UK’s air safety list, Khawaja Asif called the move a major turning point.
During the PTI administration, he accused former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar of making unfounded accusations against his own organization, which resulted in the ban.
He went on to say that Ghulam Sarwar’s careless remarks hurt the national airline monetarily and undermined the nation’s honor. He criticized Sarwar for never providing an explanation and called the statement a criminal act against the state.
According to Asif, Imran Khan and Ghulam Sarwar are both to blame for PIA’s demise, and PTI is accountable for the PIA ban. By stating that no one would be given a clean sheet, he alluded to potential legal action against Ghulam Sarwar.
Also read: Pakistani airlines are no longer banned by the UK
Additionally, he emphasized that lifting the ban will facilitate travel for Pakistanis living in the UK, as approximately 10 million Pakistanis travel abroad via PIA.
According to Khawaja Asif, lifting the ban will also help PIA’s privatization efforts. He disclosed that the government intends to restore PIA’s international routes before privatizing the airline in the following phase.
He praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s personal interest in reopening PIA’s routes and thanked international regulators for their advice.
He called it a significant day for Pakistan’s aviation industry and confirmed that PIA has now been given permission to operate in the UK once more. The good news, he said, is that this development will also increase PIA’s worth in the process of privatization.
The defence minister further stated that efforts are being made to resume flights to New York, and it is the government’s responsibility to determine why the ban was imposed in the first place. Pakistan will now submit applications to obtain operating licenses for its international flights.
Khawaja Asif said in closing that the efforts of numerous people and organizations have led to the resuscitation and advancement of PIA.
He called it a “historic day” for the entire nation and congratulated the people of Pakistan for helping bring a national institution back on its feet.
