January 14, 2003	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 10, 1423

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MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 13: The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has called upon the PIA to abolish the excise duty on air tickets for the two AJK stations and to resume the flights which had been stopped by the corporation last year.

Official sources here on Monday told Dawn that the AJK had asked the national flag carrier to adopt the same policy on fare for Azad Kashmir as had been devised for the Northern Areas destinations, so that its citizens could afford the air travel.

The AJK government has also stressed that the PIA should ensure punctuality and reschedule the timings of its flights to the two stations in the AJK, in line with the requirement of the local businessmen.

According to the sources, the existing length of the runway at the Muzaffarabad airport is 3,000ft and the AJK government has suggested that the airport be developed and its airstrip be lengthened by 2,000ft to allow landing of Fokar planes.

The PIA had stopped its four weekly flights to the AJK— between Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, and Islamabad and Rawalakot— last year on the grounds that the operations were non-profitable and incurring a loss of around Rs9 million per annum to the corporation.