KARACHI: A Fly Jinnah flight on Monday made an emergency landing at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said, adding all passengers and crew members safely off-loaded from the plane.
The flight, FL-846, left Karachi in the country’s south for the eastern city of Lahore on Monday evening, according to the (PAA).
The captain reported smoke in the cargo compartment and gave a ‘mayday’ call at 7:15 near Lahore.
“Fly Jinnah flight, FL-846, safely landed at the Lahore at 7:23 pm,” the PAA said in a statement. “[Officials of] the Airport Authority’s Fire Department were present on the spot to deal with any emergency as per the SOPs (standard operating procedures).”
All passengers and crew were safely offloaded through emergency exit of the plane and at 7:57pm, the fire department cleared the plane following an inspection, according to the PAA.
Officials have ordered an investigation into the incident.
Pakistan’s aviation protocols have faced significant scrutiny since 2020 following a scandal wherein approximately 262 out of 860 active Pakistani pilots were said to have obtained fake licenses, leading to the grounding of around 150 pilots from the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other carriers.
The revelation came in the wake of the tragic crash of a PIA flight, PK-8303, in Karachi on May 22, 2020, resulting in the suspension of PIA’s operations in the European Union (EU) and other regions and prompting calls for regulatory reforms to improve safety standards and transparency.
Fly Jinnah flight makes emergency landing in Lahore, all passengers and crew safe
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Fly Jinnah flight makes emergency landing in Lahore, all passengers and crew safe
- The plane made emergency landing after the captain reported smoke in its cargo compartment
- Pakistan’s aviation protocols have faced significant scrutiny since a PIA plane crash in 2020
Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away
- Khaleda Zia passed away in Dhaka after prolonged illness at the age of 80, says her party
- PM Shehbaz Sharif describes Zia as a “committed friend of Pakistan” in condolence message
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed condolences over the passing of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, describing her as a committed friend of Islamabad.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced its leader Zia had passed away at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. She died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where the former prime minister was admitted on Nov. 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladesh news website.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
“Her lifelong service to Bangladesh and its growth and development leaves a lasting legacy.”
Sharif said his government and people stand with the people of Bangladesh during this difficult time.
“Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan,” he added.
Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be part of the same country before the latter seceded into the separate nation of Bangladesh after a bloody civil war in 1971.
Ties between the two countries have remained mostly strained since then. However, Islamabad enjoyed better relations with Dhaka under Zia’s government compared to when Bangladesh was led by her arch-rival, Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina was ousted after a violent uprising last year, leading to improved relations between Islamabad and Dhaka.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026.
The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
-With additional input from AFP
