KARACHI: Indian lobby is allegedly behind a conspiracy to hold back aPakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane in Malaysia owing to a legaldispute with a firm regarding payment of lease amount, ARY NEWS reportedquoting sources.
The sources claimed that the company from where the PIA had acquired theplane on lease is controlled by Indians, who not only owned the company butare also appointed as directors and on other key slots.
“The PIA administration is also looking into the matter with this angle,”they said adding that the issues with the firm were underway as per law andsudden act from them has raised questions over it.
The sources said that the PIA had sought relief from the company withregard to the payment of a lease amount as likewise aviation industryacross the globe, the national flag carrier was also facing some financialissues owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesman of the PIA while commenting on the matter said that they wereonly trying to save money from the national exchequer as planes wereacquired during the previous tenure of the PML-N on rates higher thanmarket value.
“Even the condition of the Boeing-777 acquired from Peregrine Aviation CoLtd was not satisfactory,” he said adding that the plane could not be usedfor Europe and Britain flights owing to their condition.
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The PIA was forced to used these planes in China and the Far East, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that yesterdaylink,a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft was “held back” inMalaysia over a legal dispute between the airline and a firm pending in aUK court.
The national flag carrier’s spokesperson in a Twitter statementlinksaid:“A PIA aircraft has been held back by a local court in Malaysia takingone-sided decision pertaining to a legal dispute between PIA and anotherparty pending in a UK court.”
