RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines, the only commercial airline that conducted flights from Kabul since the Taliban takeover of the Afghan capital to different cities of Afghanistan, has put on hold its operations and is waiting for Afghan authorities’ permission to resume flights to Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif and other cities.

The PIA has received requests from 7,000 to 8,000 Afghan nationals — including journalists, employees of multinational companies, UN workers and others — who want to leave Afghanistan for European Union countries, Canada and the US.

A spokesman for PIA confirmed that the national flag carrier had received requests from seven to eight thousand people who wanted to leave Afghanistan but due to uncertain security and administration situation at Kabul airport, the PIA could not operate flights to Afghanistan’s capital.

“There are no ATC, radar and other facilities to operate commercial flights to Kabul and, therefore, the PIA flights have been placed on hold,” the spokesman said.

The national flag carrier has received requests from thousands of people willing to leave Afghanistan

The Pakistan International Airlines operated seven special flights and repatriated 1,460 foreigners stranded in Afghanistan since Taliban captured Kabul, but owing to some unforeseen circumstances, more flights could not be operated even though three planes and staff were ready to fly to Kabul.

Due to Taliban’s ban on Afghan nationals to leave the country, the PIA did not operate special flights and instead the national flag carrier asked travellers to reach Kabul airport on their own. The PIA would send planes there to repatriate people because the airline could not take responsibility for bringing passengers to the airport.

“The Taliban do not want a brain drain and they have already announced an amnesty for Afghan people. However, they have allowed foreigners to leave Afghanistan for their home countries,” the spokesman said.

The European Union and Asian Development Bank have sought help from Pakistan International Airlines to evacuate their employees from Afghanistan.

They have requested the CEO of PIA and Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan to send a special aircraft on humanitarian grounds for evacuation of members of an EU delegation and their dependents who are stranded in Kabul.

Following these requests, the PIA planned to run three special flights to Kabul on Monday, but the schedule had to be cancelled because of lack of “permission” from Taliban authorities in Kabul.

The mass evacuation plan for foreigners could not be started even on Saturday due to unknown reasons. However, preparations for accommodating transit and other passengers in three different hotels of Rawalpindi have been made with tightened security.

Pakistan has offered 21-day transit visas to foreign nationals leaving Afghanistan and it is making necessary arrangements to host them during that period. The foreigners staying in Pakistani hotels will have to bear their expenses.

After the suicide bombing near Kabul airport, the international community has started evacuation of foreigners and Afghan nationals through military planes and many foreign nationals have been using Islamabad as a transit facility before departing for their respective countries.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appreciated Pakistan’s efforts amid extremely difficult and complex circumstances for helping the IMF staff and securing a corridor for them to the airport and their evacuation from Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2021