KARACHI: Pakistan’s airspace is “safe” for all kinds of flight operations, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Sunday after a European air safety agency this week warned of a “continued possible threat” to aircraft flying at low altitudes in Karachi and Lahore cities.
On July 28, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an advisory stating that the presence of “violent non-state actor groups with confirmed anti-aviation weaponry” in Pakistan means there is a high risk to flight operations at altitudes below Flight Level (FL) 260 in Lahore and Karachi.
The advisory also mentioned the internationally disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir remains a site of territorial dispute, adding that “sporadic military operations” in the region pose a potential risk to civil aviation and could lead to cases of misidentification in case a military conflict escalated.
PCAA spokesperson Saif Ullah brushed aside the advisory, saying that the EASA has issued such warnings in the past frequently.
“If we look at Pakistan, all aircraft are flying here,” Saif Ullah told Arab News. “There are no such [imminent] threats at the moment due to which we would ground aircraft because if there were any threats, we would have first grounded them.”
“In our country, our airspace is safe for all types of flight operations,” Saif Ullah concluded.
According to EASA, its advisory will remain active till 31 January, 2024.
Separately, Pakistan’s national airline has been grappling with a flight ban imposed by the EASA and the European Commission. The ban came into effect after the May 2020 air crash in Karachi, which was attributed to licensing problems within the national airline by one of the country’s former aviation ministers.
The EASA spokesperson has said the agency is conducting “constructive discussions” with the PCAA regarding the flight ban.
Pakistan says airspace ‘safe’ for flight operations despite European agency’s warning
https://arab.news/r3nab
Pakistan says airspace ‘safe’ for flight operations despite European agency’s warning
- European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) warned aircraft this week against flying over Karachi, Lahore at low altitudes
- EASA advisory said ‘sporadic military operations’ in disputed Kashmir region poses potential risk to flight operations
Pakistan signals commitment to regulate digital assets in meeting with Binance leadership
- Binance delegation led by CEO Richard Teng meets Pakistan’s prime minister, army chief in Islamabad
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has signaled its “strong commitment” to digital asset regulation as the country’s senior officials met the leadership of Binance, one of the world’s most prominent global cryptocurrency exchanges, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Saturday.
The Binance team, led by its Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng, is in Pakistan and has held meetings with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib and senior Pakistani bank officials this week.
Pakistan has been attempting to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Binance senior leadership visits Pakistan as government signals strong commitment to digital asset regulation,” the PMO said.
A Binance delegation led by Teng met Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad.
Saqib also attended the meeting and gave the Binance team a briefing about his organization.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
