February 19, 2002	Tuesday	Zilhaj 6, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: The second Airbus flight of Pakistan International Airlines taking 270 Afghan pilgrims left on Monday from Karachi to Jeddah.

Earlier, a flight of PIA had airlifted the pilgrims from Kabul taking them to the holy land on the special request of Afghan interim government to the President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

The first Airbus flight had flown into Kabul on Sunday and returned with 270 Afghan pilgrims, and after a brief refueling stopover at Islamabad, it took them to the Holy land.

During a brief stopover at Islamabad airport Foreign Office spokesman, Aziz Ahmed Khan, went into the plane to welcome and enquire about the welfare of the Afghan intending pilgrims.

The government of Pakistan had arranged aircraft at a short notice keeping in view the brotherly and religious ties between the two peoples.

It is learnt that Saudi Arabia has also shown inclination to provide aircraft of Saudi Airline to lift more intending pilgrims from Kabul to Jeddah.

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates has joined the last-minute international effort to fly thousands of Afghans for the Haj pilgrimage, the official WAM news agency reported on Monday.

“More than four aircraft will from Monday establish an air link to carry thousands of Afghans blocked in Kabul,” the Emirati agency said.

UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had decided to lay on the flights as Saudi Arabia announced that it too would provide four planes to bring in pilgrims from Afghanistan.

One of the Saudi flights landed in Jeddah overnight Sunday-Monday, the Saudi Press Agency said. Britain’s Royal Air Force is to run four Hercules C-130n transporter flights a day out of Afghanistan from Monday until Wednesday, when the Haj begins, London’s defence ministry said.

“Our assistance in this is essentially a humanitarian gesture but reflects our determination to assist the Afghans in getting their country back on its feet,” a British ministry of defence spokesman said.—APP/AFP