Pakistani passenger, bound for Karachi, ‘mistakenly' flies to Jeddah
The passenger, Malik Shahzain Ahmed, was traveling to Karachi through a private airline, Air Sial, but instead boarded the airline's flight to Jeddah from the Lahore airport, local media reported, citing the passenger.
Ahmed told media that immigration authorities at the Jeddah airport briefly detained and questioned him upon landing in the Kingdom without a passport and deported him to Lahore after the situation became clear.
In a statement, the PAA said higher officials had taken notice of the lapse and written letters to civil aviation regulator and the station manager.
'In the letter, the civil aviation regulator has been requested to impose a heavy fine on the airline that is guilty of negligence,' PAA spokesman Saifullah said.
The PAA statement did not offer an explanation as to how the passenger cleared immigration at the Lahore airport before boarding the Jeddah-bound flight.
In a video clip circulating online, Ahmed said he went to Lahore airport to board the Karachi-bound flight on July 8, but he 'mistakenly' sat in the Jeddah-bound flight after collecting his boarding pass for the domestic flight.
'After two hours, I asked [myself], 'This plane doesn't seem to be landing [soon]',' he said. 'Then I got to know that I had taken boarded the wrong plane.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
IED explosion derails five Jaffar Express train coaches in southwestern Pakistan
KARACHI: An improvised explosive device (IED) blast derailed five coaches of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express in southwestern Balochistan province on Sunday, Pakistan Railways confirmed in yet another attack targeting the train. The IED blast took place on a train track near Quetta's Spezand Railway Station on Sunday morning, the railways said in a press release. It added that five coaches of the 39-Up Jaffar Express train, which runs from Quetta to Peshawar, had been derailed while all passengers remained safe. 'Railway and security teams are present at the scene, and rescue operations have begun,' the statement said. It said the railway administration will bring passengers back to the southwestern city of Quetta in light of the security situation, adding that train operations from Quetta will resume after authorities provide security clearance. Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi condemned the attack. 'Terrorists' cowardly acts cannot weaken our resolve,' Abbasi said in a statement issued by railways. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. This is the fourth incident involving Jaffar Express since it resumed operations in March, following a rare hijacking by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist militants with 400 passengers aboard. The hijacking in the rugged Bolan mountain range ended on March 12 after an hours-long military operation that killed 33 militants and rescued hostages. The standoff also left 23 soldiers, three railway staff and five passengers dead. In June, the train narrowly avoided a disaster when a bogie of its power van derailed near Shikarpur's Mandi Phatak area, according to a report by the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan. In late July, at least one person was injured when an explosion derailed three coaches of the train in Pakistan's southern Sindh province. The coaches derailed in Sindh's Shikarpur district after the explosion damaged part of the railway track, halting railway operations briefly. The train narrowly escaped disaster on Thursday when a bomb planted near the track close to Sibi Railway Station exploded, just after the Jaffar Express passed. Pakistan's railway system faces frequent derailments due to poor maintenance and militant attacks targeting rail tracks, especially in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces. These incidents underscore an urgent need for infrastructure and security upgrades across the rail network.
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan receives over 71,000 Hajj applications in first submission round
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs has received more than 71,000 applications in the first phase of Hajj form submissions, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Saturday, citing a senior official. Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims for 2026, with 129,210 seats allocated for the government scheme and the rest for private tour operators. Under the government scheme, pilgrims can choose between a long package of 38 to 42 days or a short package of 20 to 25 days, with costs estimated between Rs1.15 million and Rs1.25 million ($4,050-$4,236). 'The next phase will run from August 11 to 16, during which applications will be accepted along with the first installment of expenses,' the ministry's spokesperson, Muhammad Umar Butt, said, according to APP. 'In this stage, unregistered intending pilgrims will also be eligible to apply.' The report said overseas Pakistanis can also apply through a close relative at any designated bank branch and will be required to provide medical fitness certificates upon arrival in Pakistan. The official also said the ministry would stop accepting applications immediately once the allocated quota is filled. Saudi Arabia approved the same overall quota for Pakistan in 2025, but a significant portion of the private allocation went unused due to delays by tour operators in meeting payment and registration deadlines, while the government fulfilled its share of over 88,000 pilgrims. Private operators blamed the shortfall on technical issues, including payment processing and communication problems.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Pakistani forces kill 47 ‘Indian-sponsored militants' in two-day engagements in southwest — military
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed 47 'Indian-sponsored militants' belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) near the country's border with Afghanistan in the restive Balochistan province, the Pakistani military said on Saturday. Pakistani forces engaged and killed 33 militants while attempting to infiltrate the border in Sambaza area of Balochistan's Zhob district on August 7-8, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing. The military, following the successful engagements, conducted a sanitization operation on the night August 8-9 in surrounding areas of Sambaza along Pakistan-Afghanistan border and neutralized 14 more 'Indian-sponsored khwarij [militants].' In recent months, Islamabad has frequently accused India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegation. 'Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed khwarij,' the ISPR said in a statement. 'Security Forces remain committed to secure the nation's frontiers and thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Pakistan.' Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its western regions bordering Afghanistan. While the recent infiltration attempt took place in the volatile Balochistan province, the site of a long-running insurgency by Baloch separatists, the TTP has primarily carried out attacks in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, targeting security personnel, police and civilians. On Friday, Balochistan's Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti welcomed the operation, calling it a successful counter-infiltration move that 'made the nation proud.' 'The people of Balochistan stand united against the enemies of peace,' he said. 'Every obstacle to peace and prosperity in Balochistan will be eliminated.'
