NEW YORK: Prime Minister Imran Khan left New York on Saturday afternoon, a day after his earlier departure which had to be abandoned after his plane developed a technical fault while heading to Pakistan.

The prime minister and his 18-member entourage boarded a Saudi Airlines flight number SV20 for Jeddah from where he will fly to Islamabad.

The flight left New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport at 2pm and will arrive in Jeddah almost 12 hours later at 8:40am local time.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi, who saw him off on Friday too, was at the airport for the second send-off.

On Friday, Mr Khan boarded a special jet placed at his disposal by the Saudi government last week. After almost two-hours over the Atlantic, the crew noticed that the plane’s navigation system was not working. The crew decided to return to New York, instead of flying on to Paris where the plane was scheduled to refuel for Jeddah.

Technical fault in jet caused extended stay in New York

Ambassador Lodhi had to rush back to JFK to be on hand for the prime minister, who led the Pakistan delegation to the 74th session of the UN General Assembly this week.

The prime minister and his team waited at JFK for some time while technicians tried to fix the fault but determined that the repairs needed more.

So, Ambassador Lodhi escorted the prime minister back to the Roosevelt Hotel where he was staying during his hectic seven-day trip. Officials said Mr Khan took a commercial flight back to Pakistan because he was anxious to visit earthquake-hit areas and the affected families.

The prime minister’s visit to New York was dubbed “Mission Kashmir” because he came to highlight the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly.

On Friday, he addressed the 193-member Assembly, warning the world that a 50-day old Indian siege of the occupied valley could lead to a bloodbath in occupied Kashmir and could also cause a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.

He urged the international community to take urgent steps to prevent a war between two nuclear powers, as it would have dangerous consequences for all.

Before leaving for JFK for his first attempt to fly out of New York, the prime minister met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday and discussed the Kashmir situation with him as well.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said Mr Khan commended Mr Guterres “for his clear articulation of the UN position on Kashmir dispute”.

The prime minister briefed him on the curfew and communications blackout imposed in occupied Kashmir which have now been in place for 54 days, saying such “draconian lockdown” had no parallel in recent history, the statement said.

The UN chief during the meeting reiterated his deep concern over the human rights and humanitarian situation in occupied Kashmir, the press release said.

Mr Guterres said that he would “remain engaged on the issue” and conveyed that his offer to help facilitate a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue continued to stand.

Mr Khan also presented photographs of sculptor by Pakistani artist Amin Gulgee, which is now placed in the UN rose garden.

“This very beautiful monument of a great artist, Amin Gulgee, will remain forever in the UN premises,” said a statement issued by the secretary general’s office after the presentation ceremony.

“When we see those hands pointing to the sky, but also those hands united, they represent, I believe, a symbol of hope and a symbol of solidarity,” Mr Guterres told the prime minister.

“We are very grateful for this monument and we believe this monument represents the very close cooperation between Pakistan and the United Nations,” the secretary general said.

“This symbol of solidarity that I always felt when visiting Pakistan is typical of the way that Pakistani people live and the Pakistani people share with all those that were received so generously in the country,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2019