KARACHI: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said on Thursday it was not aware of the reported presence of Israeli nationals on a flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi earlier this week.
Flydubai flight FZ-569 was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Dubai, when a woman aboard the plane fell ill, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport on Wednesday.
Israeli newspaper, The Times of Israel, reported the flight was carrying two Israeli citizens among passengers, citing the Israeli foreign ministry. The ministry said it had “worked, together with others, to ensure the welfare” of the Israelis, the report added.
But a PCAA spokesperson, Saifullah Khan, said Pakistani authorities were unaware of the presence of Israeli nationals on the flight.
“The report about the Ffydubai flight 569 just had that it was en route to Colombo from Dubai and the condition of some woman [aboard] worsened and it landed at 11pm [on Wednesday] in Karachi,” Khan told Arab News.
“But she expired. Her body was sent to [Pakistani charity] Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation in Malir and the plane left at 3am [on Thursday]. It was not mentioned [in the report] how many passengers were aboard and what their nationalities were.”
The woman, who later died on the plane, was a Sri Lankan national, according to Khan. Her body was flown to Sri Lanka on another flight.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations and OIC and demanded international powers and multilateral bodies stop Israeli military actions in the Palestinian territory.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, told The Independent’s Urdu service the flydubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a medical emergency.
“The Sri Lankan woman aboard the plane was examined by a medical team and declared dead, after which the body was taken off the plane,” she said. “No other passenger got off the plane.”
Pakistan says unaware Israeli nationals aboard plane that made emergency landing in Karachi
https://arab.news/9swyh
Pakistan says unaware Israeli nationals aboard plane that made emergency landing in Karachi
- Flydubai flight to Colombo made emergency landing at Jinnah International Airport on Wednesday
- Israeli media quoted the Israeli foreign ministry as saying flight was also carrying two Israeli citizens
‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match
- Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
- Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports.
“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks.
“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”
Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament.
The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game.
The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions.
Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists.
Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.
