SIALKOT: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had a proud moment on Sunday when it started its direct passenger flights’ operation between Europe and Sialkot.

Federal Minister for Aviation Mohammadmian Soomro launched the PIA flight service to Europe from the Sialkot International Airport. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, SIAL chairman Nadeem Anwar Qureshi, Punjab Minister for Special Education Chaudhry Muhammad Ikhlaq and other dignitaries accorded a warm welcome to the passengers of the PIA flight (PK-720) from Paris via Barcelona-Spain to Sialkot. They presented bouquets to the passengers while the ground staff presented the water salute to the PIA aircraft.

Later, a PIA flight (PK-769) took off to Paris.

Flights to and from Paris to be operated once a week

Both PIA and SIAL jointly hosted the ceremony where officials said that initially the PIA would run direct passenger flight between Paris and Sialkot once a week. Later, they said, the number of flights to other European countries would be increased.

The aviation minister said it was a momentous occasion that the Sialkot airport had launched the PIA operations to Europe. He said the government was making efforts to ensure the provision of facilities to the passengers at all the airports in the country. The Sialkot exporters, he said, had been playing a pivotal role in strengthening the national economy through US $ 2 billion annual foreign exchange.

SIAL chairman Nadeem Anwar Qureshi told the participants that the success of the airport had been building the trust and confidence of the foreign airlines. He said after the successful flight operation of Saudi Gulf Airline, Saudi Arabia was mulling launch of the operation of Saudi Airlines to Sialkot.

He said 55 international passenger flights take off to foreign destinations from Sialkot in a week and the number of these flights would increase soon.

SIAL Business Development Committee chairman Mian Naeem Javaid said the mega project of the Sialkot International Airport undertaken by local businessmen on a self-help basis was now proving a milestone towards helping the national economy.

PML-N: Former Interior Minister Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal says the PML-N will not allow the PTI government to bring any mini-budget.

Speaking to the local party workers on Sunday, he reiterated that hundreds of thousands of people had been rendered jobless by the government due to cut in development budget. He said the PML-N government had been ousted to nullify the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

SHOT DEAD: Robbers shot dead a trader outside his shop at Daallowali village on Saturday night.

The relatives of the deceased staged a protest against police for failing to control crime.

In Daska, four armed men shot at and injured the guard of an electronics shop and took away Rs300,000. The injured was admitted to Daska’s Civil Hospital in a critical condition.

The Daska city police registered a case.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2019