An Islamabad-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, which was carrying Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and a high-level delegation returning from their visit to Saudi Arabia, encountered an unexpected diversion to Lahore airport, causing significant inconvenience to numerous other passengers. This incident, as reported by media outlets on Wednesday, occurred amidst recent declarations by Prime Minister Sharif regarding the ban on red carpet treatment at events held in his honor, a move widely praised for its symbolic effort towards diminishing VIP culture and promoting humility within the sphere of public service.
According to a spokesperson quoted by Dawn newspaper, the flight, PK842, originating from Jeddah and destined for Islamabad, had onboard Prime Minister Sharif and his daughter Maryam among other VIPs. However, due to undisclosed reasons, the flight was diverted to Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport on Monday evening. The diversion led to a disruption in the travel plans of the 393 passengers who were scheduled to arrive in Islamabad at 10:30 pm that night, but instead found themselves landing in Lahore at 9:25 pm.
Sources reported that upon landing in Lahore, Prime Minister Sharif, Chief Minister Nawaz, and the accompanying VIPs disembarked from the aircraft, adding to the inconvenience faced by the hundreds of passengers who were originally bound for Islamabad. The situation prompted expressions of frustration from passengers, as captured in videos circulating on social media. However, despite their discontent, the affected passengers had no choice but to wait until the VIPs completed their disembarkation procedures before resuming their journey to Islamabad.
Official sources clarified that the flight was carrying the official Pakistani delegation returning from Saudi Arabia, which included not only Prime Minister Sharif and his daughter but also Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and other delegates, along with their family members.
After offloading approximately 79 passengers in Lahore, the flight eventually departed for Islamabad and arrived at the Islamabad International Airport at 11:17 pm, almost an hour later than the originally scheduled time of 10:30 pm.
Prime Minister Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia marked his inaugural foreign trip since assuming office the previous month, underscoring the significance of the delegation’s return journey and the unexpected turn of events during their travel back to Islamabad.
