RAWALPINDI: Federal Aviation Minister has asserted that the officials of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) will appear before London and Malaysian courts over the matter of lease payment issue.
During a media briefing in the city, he said that PIA failed to pay the lease of the aircraft that was held in Kuala Lumpur on time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Malaysian court issued an order without listening to any arguments by the airline.
The minister said PIA officials will appear before a London court on January 22 and before a Malaysian court on January 24 after which the national carrier would “accept the decision of the courts”.
PIA had acquired the plane on an expensive lease during the PML-N tenure, he added. The minister said the government believed in taking practical steps for the welfare of the common man.
Talking about development plans, he said that the government had announced a 110-km long Rawalpindi Ring Road project which would not only help to resolve traffic issues but also create job opportunities and give a boost to economic activities in the area.
Sarwar said an amount of Rs 6 billion has been credited to the Rawalpindi administration in that regard and hoped that the project would be initiated before June 2021.
On Friday, Malaysian authorities seized a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing-777 at the Kuala Lumpur airport. The PIA plane was seized on the orders of a local Malaysian court over the non-payment of aircraft lease dues, sources disclosed.
