Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan has blamed ‘Indian lobby’ for last month's seizure of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger airplane in Malaysia. He expressed these views while talking to reporters in Taxila.
He further said that the former government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) used to purchase PIA aircraft from a foreign company at a higher market value. The minister also claimed that Shujaat Azeem, the former government aviation advisor, supposedly attempted to grab kickbacks from the aircraft lease contract.
Azeem was "controlled" by some Indians, said the aviation minister. This was the reason why the government decided not pay the lease when it expired in July, he further claimed.
A PIA aircraft was confiscated by the Malaysian authorities on the orders of a local court because the national carrier had been unable to pay the lease for its purchased plane. However, the plane was allowed to return back to Pakistan last week on Friday.
He further said that the former government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) used to purchase PIA aircraft from a foreign company at a higher market value. The minister also claimed that Shujaat Azeem, the former government aviation advisor, supposedly attempted to grab kickbacks from the aircraft lease contract.
Azeem was "controlled" by some Indians, said the aviation minister. This was the reason why the government decided not pay the lease when it expired in July, he further claimed.
A PIA aircraft was confiscated by the Malaysian authorities on the orders of a local court because the national carrier had been unable to pay the lease for its purchased plane. However, the plane was allowed to return back to Pakistan last week on Friday.