KARACHI - Angry passengers forced a lawmaker off a plane and prevented another from boarding after the flight was delayed for over two hours, sparking a passionate debate about the country’s so-called ‘VIP culture’ after footage was posted online.
The Monday night Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-370 from Karachi to Islamabad was delayed by “a technical fault” for 90 minutes, and by a further 25 minutes as it waited for two politicians (PPP’s Senator Rehman Malik and MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vakwani) to arrive, a government official said.
When they finally came, the passengers stopped one from boarding and forced another to get off the aircraft.
Senior government figures and politicians in Pakistan enjoy a host of lavish privileges, from plots of land to heavy police escorts that disrupt traffic. They are often able to keep flights that are ready to depart waiting on the tarmac for their arrival.
But irate passengers on the PIA plane decided to take matters into their own hands this time – aiming a string of invectives toward Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a minority Hindu member of the ruling PML-N party, and at the country’s former interior minister Rehman Malik.
In one of the videos, apparently shot on mobile phone, the passengers can be seen waiting at the door of the plane for Malik. As he walks down the jetway, a man shouts: “Malik Saheb (Sir) you should go back. You should apologise to these passengers. You should be ashamed of yourself! 150 passengers have been put out because of you.”
Another man can be heard saying: “We’ve taken it for 68 years. Are we going to take it another 68?” referring to the country’s age. The embarrassed politician later turned back. Member National Assembly Vankwani also left the flight after passengers threatened to beat him with shoes.
Many Pakistanis on Twitter hailed the event as a rare example of ordinary people standing up to the powerful – with some connecting it to the protest movement against government corruption led by opposition leader Imran Khan.
“What a delight to watch the video. At last someone stood up & everyone joined. Salute to all those who raised their voice,” tweeted user Frasat Mahmood. A few criticised the abusive language and threats of violence.
Shujaat Azeem, an aide to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said two airport officials were being suspended over the incident. Malik, however, said on Twitter he had not been late and blamed the other politician.
“Why am I being linked with PML-N minister? I saw the noise with the minister and decided not to go on the flight,” he said.
A spokesperson for Rehman Malik stated that the senator was to fly from Karachi to Islamabad at 7pm. He was informed at 5:45pm that flight was late due to some technical reasons and the flight is expected to leave at 8:30pm.
Accordingly, Malik arrived at airport and while he was on the way to the plane he was informed by a member of PIA staff that there was a lot of bashing going on from one of the political party workers against an MNA of PML-N and there was a lot of sloganeering. In view of the prevailing situation, Senator Malik did not enter the plane and returned, the spokesperson added.
The PIA through their official spokesperson issued a press statement that the delay was not caused because of Rehman Malik but it was due to a technical fault. Hence, all the propaganda against Senator Malik was malafide and without any foundation whatsoever.
According to the Civil Aviation Rules, videos cannot be made at airport vicinity and especially at plane and no one has the right to record anyone’s video without permission.
About Vakwani, the spokesperson said it was an unfortunate incident where an honourable MNA was humiliated and door was reopened and he was pushed out of the plane by the fellow passengers. Moreover, this was an act amounting to endangering the safety of the passengers on board and also an act of violation within the meaning of IATA Rules.
It is, therefore, demanded that the PIA should tender an apology to all the passengers for undue discomfort caused due to the technical delay (as has become the norm with the airline) and to Senator A Rehman Malik for failing to present correct facts timely, causing the delay being wrongfully attributed to him, the spokesperson said in the statement.
Further, the airlines security/staff failed to stop the takeover of the plane by the violators against the IATA Rules and laws of the land and completely mismanaged the entire situation.
The spokesperson said Senator Malik reserves the right to sue all the persons/violators involved in this vilification campaign. He was attributed to a delay of two hours, widely reported in the media, which was not his fault as admitted by the airlines itself subsequently.