PESHAWAR, May 15: The Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has changed the route of Islamabad-Kabul flight by removing its stopover in Peshawar.

The change of the route has created problems for local and Afghan businessmen.

Local businessmen said the national flag carrier was not lifting passengers for Kabul from the Peshawar airport for three months, despite they were issued tickets for such flight.

Former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Ghulam Sarwar Mohmand, told Dawn on Tuesday that they had struggled for inception of direct flights between Islamabad and Kabul via Peshawar to boost business ties between the two sides.

“It was the result of our efforts, when Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz approved three flights from Islamabad to Kabul touching Peshawar airport for lifting passengers once a week.”

“Now the PIA management has deleted the Peshawar stop from the route creating hardships for the businessmen of both countries,” Mr Mohmand said.

He said that a large number of Pakistani and Afghan businessmen, who have their offices in Peshawar, wanted to go to Kabul by air.

Mr Mohmand said that the PIA was treating Peshawar as a low priority area that was why it had significantly reduced the number of domestic flights from here depriving the locals from facility.

He said that the volume of Pakistan-Afghan bilateral trade was growing with each passing day and the business community of the NWFP had important role in it. He asked the PIA high ups to increase number of Islamabad-Kabul flights besides initiating Peshawar-Kabul direct flights twice a week.

When contacted, PIA station-manager Qamar Zaman said that the Islamabad-Kabul flight with a stop at the Peshawar airport was intact.

He clarified that the flight lends here only when sufficient number of passengers were available here.