KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has proven it treats VIPs and the commons alike by delaying its Karachi-bound Hajj flight carrying parliamentarians by several hours, Geo News reported.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi who was also on the flight said the issue of mismanagement in Hajj flights would be taken up in the Parliament.
Where PIA, which beat Pakistan Railways in tormenting passengers, drew some MPs ire as it touched down at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, a diplomatic Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Khurshid Shah jumped to defend the national flag carrier with all his might.
PML-N MNAs Anjum Aqeel and Shakeel Awan pointed that not only Hajj flights were delayed other Hajj matters were also not proper.
Talking to media, he said PIA was not responsible for the delays pilgrims suffered, in fact it were problems beyond PIA's powers that led to the same, adding, this Hajj, airlines were caught in the bottlenecks of the like world over.
One, he said, was the excess luggage issue, which was purely a pilgrims-created problem as they were categorically instructed to bring aboard baggage no heavier than 80 kilogrammes, which they did not bother to follow to their own inconvenience.
Putting on his political tone he said, there in the holy land, we have prayed for the resolution of local government issues in Sindh.
He refused to acknowledge the arrangements made for the holy travelers journeying back home were ill-managed, saying pilgrims were provided with the best possible facilities, adding government couldn't have done better than that.
On the other hand, Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Asif Hussian lashed out at the PIA's poor performance, warning that if the airlines did not put its management in order we might see Hajj flights delaying by 17-18 hours.