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KARACHI: After Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik, it is Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousuf who invited passengers' wrath for what appears to be a delay in the take-off of PIA flight PK-741 on Monday.
The said flight was scheduled to depart from Islamabad to Jeddah but there was a delay of about 30 minutes. Some politicians were also said to be present among the passengers.
It later emerged that the flight was waiting for the religious affairs minister who was due to come to the airport.
Angry passengers protested at the airport's waiting lounge against what they called was an example of 'VIP culture' that allows influential people to call in favours, and also chanted 'Go Nawaz Go' slogans.
Sensing the sensitivity of the situation upon his arrival at the airport, the federal minister is said to have issued an apology but passengers still continued with their protests after which they boarded the plane. The take-off was subsequently delayed by an hour.
Last year in September, former interior minister Rehman Malik and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Wakwani had sparked outrage over the delay of PIA's flight PK-370. The two were accused of holding the plane back while other passengers waited for hour.
Take a look: Passengers expel Rehman Malik, PML-N MNA from flight over delay
The incident — which was filmed and uploaded to video-sharing site Dailymotion — created a storm on Twitter and Facebook, with users applauding the passengers of PK-370 for successfully barring the lawmakers from boarding the aircraft.
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On DawnNews
Comments (50) Closed
Jan 26, 2015 04:49pm
awesome keep it coming
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Jan 26, 2015 05:02pm
Politicians all over the sub-continent always tend to come late for two reasons. Firstly, keeping the public waiting gives them a feeling of selfimportance. Secondly, they feel that if they show up early or on time, others will think that they do not have enough work.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:02pm
I don't know, and writer didn't mention, 'Was this Minister ashamed?'
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Jan 26, 2015 05:07pm
@Sher
Never, they are never ashamed; the passengers should have not allowed him in or all of them should have refused to board.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:07pm
Keep it up Sharif Bros !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jan 26, 2015 05:21pm
WOW... these people in power are not serving the public as they should be they want the public to serve them...Religious Minister so sad, does he not know that to hurt another muslim in any way is against Islamic teachings, yet here he makes them wait and extra hour which means the people waiting at the destination will wait an extra hour....the actions of such so called leaders make me ashamed to be called a Pakistani...they never have and never will care about the Pakistani public....imagine how many Bud duas these so called leaders are getting every single day...but they could not give a toss.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:21pm
Shame on this religious minister.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:26pm
Keep it up PMLN!!!!!
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Jan 26, 2015 05:31pm
Can someone please upload a video of this incident.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:32pm
Bad examples indeed.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:44pm
@Sher no
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Jan 26, 2015 05:55pm
Come to think of it, PIA is as much if not more to be blamed for this circus... It should have allowed the plane to leave on time.
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Jan 26, 2015 05:57pm
This is interesting this minister did not learn anything from a similar incident last year. Very typical of our nation. A true representative of the people.
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Jan 26, 2015 06:03pm
Like the activism.
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Jan 26, 2015 06:14pm
People should stand up and don't let these VIP board.
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Jan 26, 2015 06:15pm
He should have been forcibly off loaded....
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Jan 26, 2015 06:41pm
You forgot to add the said individual who forced Rehman around was fired from his job a few weeks later by his company.
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Jan 26, 2015 06:52pm
Pak sar zameen shadbad, kishware haseen shadbad
to hai nishane azme aalishan!!
Zindabad. Politicians International Airlines doing its job. Wionderful!!
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Jan 26, 2015 07:01pm
PIA, the national airline of Pakistan is being used as a personal limousine service by our politicians.
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Jan 26, 2015 07:05pm
Do we really need a religious affairs minister? We have money to throw around on friviloties like that?
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Jan 26, 2015 07:50pm
Religious Minister? What does he do and why do we have one?
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Jan 26, 2015 08:03pm
The PIA and airport staff should be fired for delaying the flight. The shameless minister should have not been allowed to board the plane. The PM should take notice! like he does as his favorite activity. Shame on the minister and the airline and airport authorities
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Jan 26, 2015 08:07pm
Nothing new this is the VIP culture of our most valued and important Politians(VIP) without their alternate.
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Jan 26, 2015 08:09pm
Only in Pakistan. Is there a way for the passengers to sue PIA for these delays?
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Jan 26, 2015 08:15pm
Why the concerned authorities do not issue clear cut directives to PIA not to delay flight for any VIP ? And under whose instructions it is that the flight(s) are delayed ? PIA owes an explanation to the nation on this....at least on this count. Will PIA oblige ?
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Jan 26, 2015 08:43pm
The ruler's mindset never changes...
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Jan 26, 2015 09:11pm
This so called minister should have been off loaded from the flight. Why PIA personnel don't do that. The entire public will support PIA. These good for nothing ministers have made a habit of coming in late and delay the entire flight for all the passengers.
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Jan 26, 2015 09:47pm
this is the plight of third world politicians. They will never transform till the masses stand against the corruption and malfeasance.
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Jan 26, 2015 10:08pm
They should not have allowed him to board the plane. Yousef should be ashamed of his actions. Responce by the public should now go a step further. You know what I mean.
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Jan 26, 2015 10:16pm
If a flight could not wait for a common passenger then why for minister. We have to stop VIP culture
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Jan 26, 2015 10:28pm
You get what you deserve
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Jan 26, 2015 10:31pm
@Sher: By now you should know they are all shameless. They don't have the word ' Shame' in their dictionaries. That makes them a successful politician in Pakistan only.
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Jan 26, 2015 10:33pm
Now why everyone is yelling and crying. When IK asked you guys to come out of you houses to support him no one came. You deserve what you work for.
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Jan 26, 2015 10:34pm
Our so called VIP's don't realize that the time wasted due to their inept behavior is not one hour but one hour times the number of people affected, equipment and facilities. The time wasted should be quantified and recovered from him. I believe the cost should be close to a few hundred thousand Rupees.
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Jan 26, 2015 10:50pm
@Sher He cannot be a minister if he show this act.
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Jan 26, 2015 11:03pm
Minister for RELEGIOUS AFFAIRS. Didn't he read anything about equality in those Islamic studies books?
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Jan 26, 2015 11:27pm
The minister should not be allowed to board the plane .
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Jan 26, 2015 11:31pm
For crying out loud, he is a religious minister and was saying his Salat (praying for his safety) before departure.
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Jan 26, 2015 11:42pm
....and this man will loudly preach all kinds of virtues.....but not practice them.......no wonder Nawaz has chosen him as the minister for religious affairs.
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Jan 26, 2015 11:58pm
Nawaz sharif destroying each and every institution of the country
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Jan 27, 2015 12:12am
The people of Pakistan need to stop Flying PIA to make he govt realize that they mean business. No pain no gain.
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Jan 27, 2015 12:41am
The flight was delayed just 30 minutes. Atleast the timeframe is getting shorter.
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Jan 27, 2015 12:43am
This minister should be fired for wasting time. Also, who did he call to delay the flight?. I guess you know who else should be fired!!.
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Jan 27, 2015 01:19am
Well done people for standing up against the VIP culture.
Go nawaz go.
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Jan 27, 2015 01:34am
Isn't wasting time considered a sin in Islamabad.???? Due to his act, he stands disqualified to be a religious minister, IMO.
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Jan 27, 2015 02:51am
Religious minister, religiously breaking countries parliamentary oath.
If only PM can take one small step and sack this minister rest will heed.
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Jan 27, 2015 03:02am
The only way forward is to boycott PIA. When they have no money, they will soon realise their mistakes. PIA is to blame for allowing this VIP culture.
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Jan 27, 2015 07:29am
No discipline,no progress.Its one of the reasons of the decline of this department.
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Jan 27, 2015 07:46am
There are many such examples of this sickening practice of our politicians, so-called educated elites, and bureaucrats. Whenever I go to attend the economics conference at Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, the President who opens the conference always comes late (regardless of who the individual is). I once attended the State Bank of Pakistan conference in Karachi and the then governor, Ishrat Hussain (who is currently IBA director), came late to open the conference. The list goes on.
But, I would say "Jeeay social media" which brings these people to light.
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Jan 27, 2015 11:23pm
Why was he not KICKED out!! -_-
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