rawalpindi - The security staff of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had barred senior officers of Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan International Airlines, Airports security Force and city district government from entering the airport during his visit to inspect terminal building and other facilities, sources disclosed on Saturday.

Sources also claimed that the security staff of premier even pointed guns on some officials and officers when they insisted to accompany the prime minister during his visit to the airport. The new Islamabad International Airport will be inaugurated by PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on April 20, 2018.

According to sources, PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had reached at NIIAP along with defence and information ministers in a helicopter on Friday to inspect the terminal building and other facilities. On the occasion, CAA Director Finance Amir Sikandar, PIA CEO Musharraf Rasool Siyan, Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Talat Mehmood Gondal, AC Attock and some uniformed officers of ASF received the PM and tried to go inside the airport along with the premier.

However, the personnel security staff of PM stopped them from doing so. Sources said that Talat Mehmood Gondal even told the personnel security staff of PM that he is DC Rawalpindi and should be allowed to accompany the PM but the security staff did not act on his request. The same treatment was meted out to officers of other departments. The situation caused embarrassment for the officers who protested against the disrespectful attitude of personnel security staff of PM.

CAA spokesperson Farah Hussain, however, when contacted, said that according to security protocol, only those personnel/officers are allowed to accompany the PM whose security has been cleared earlier by the personnel staff of PM. She said it might be possible that the security which received the PM at the airport was not briefed earlier and therefore acted in such a manner.

“Please don’t ask me more questions and contact those officers for further queries who were stopped at airport by personnel security staff of PM” she said.

DC Rawalpindi Talat Mehmood Gondal, when approached for comments, denied reports that he had been stopped from entering inside airport along with PM by his personnel security staff.  Meanwhile, ASF assumed its security and other duties at New Islamabad International Airport on Saturday.