Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Saturday that the government is working towards the swift resumption of flights between Pakistan and the United Kingdom, a move that will significantly benefit the Pakistani diaspora.
“We have taken all necessary steps, including amending laws to meet the UK Aviation Authority’s latest requirements to restore PIA flights,” Dar said while addressing the Pakistani community in the UK.
He attributed the suspension of PIA flights to an “irresponsible statement” made by a minister from the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which led to a grounding of Pakistan’s aircraft in Europe, the UK, and other Western countries.
During his official visit to the UK, Dar also mentioned that the government is fast-tracking two key initiatives: the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the outsourcing of Islamabad International Airport. He indicated that these processes might be completed by October 10.
Dar emphasized the importance of the UK-Pakistan relationship, noting that the Pakistani diaspora plays a crucial role in strengthening bilateral ties. “The British-Pakistani community is vibrant, diverse, and actively contributes to both the UK and Pakistan,” he said.
He also highlighted the community’s political engagement in the UK, with two cabinet members, 15 members in the House of Commons, 11 in the House of Lords, and numerous councilors, mayors, and deputy mayors of Pakistani origin.
Reflecting on the economic challenges Pakistan faced in 2013, Dar recalled that international financial institutions were projecting Pakistan’s political instability and predicting a default within six months. However, he said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was able to turn the economy around within 18 months, bringing food inflation down to 2% and achieving a 6% GDP growth rate. By 2017, Pakistan had risen to become the 24th largest global economy, he added.
However, he lamented that poor governance by the PTI government, which came into power in 2018, caused Pakistan’s economic ranking to fall to 47th by 2022.
On the security front, Dar noted that in 2013, Pakistan faced three major challenges: a struggling economy, extremism, and electricity load shedding. He praised the PML-N government’s efforts in tackling these issues. However, he expressed disappointment over the PTI government’s policies in 2022, which he claimed allowed terrorism to resurface.
He criticized the PTI government for engaging in dialogues in Afghanistan, which led to the release of 102 hardened criminals, some of whom were involved in grave acts of terrorism, including the killing of schoolchildren.
Dar reaffirmed the current government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan once again.
