[ad_1]
British Airways is expected to resume service in Pakistan on Sunday after an 11-year pause in the victory of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was seeking the return of the airline as a vote of confidence in his country's troubled economy.
BA stopped flights to Pakistan following a terrorist attack against the Marriott hotel in Islamabad in 2008, part of a wave of extremist violence in the country that deterred investors foreigners and forced companies to move abroad.
A former cricketer who studied at Oxford University, Khan personally intervened by making phone calls to press for the resumption of flights to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, a senior official said. government. "He spoke to the British and urged BA to return to Pakistan," said the official.
Pakistan's economy has been weakened by years of political uncertainty and international isolation from state-sponsored terrorism.
The country runs the risk of further decline in its investments if it can not fight more severely against the financing of terrorism and avoid being on a blacklist held by the Financial Action Group, an international organization fighting against money laundering.
In May, Islamabad announced the signing of a $ 6 billion preliminary agreement of the International Monetary Fund to resolve the severe balance of payments crisis caused by rising oil prices and heavy spending on oil and gas. ;import.
To ensure the rescue, Khan's government is to unveil an austerity budget on June 11 and announce painful reforms aimed at reducing the budget deficit, which is around 7% of gross domestic product.
Khan said the IMF bailout – the third in Pakistan since 2008 – would be the latest and aimed to convince the international community that Islamabad was mastering the extremists operating on its soil.
"The return of British Airway to Pakistan sends a very good signal to the world," said Pakistani Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry. "This shows that the world has accepted the success we have had in the fight against terrorism."
The London-Islamabad route will serve the British population of more than one million people of Pakistani origin. The road will be "popular with companies from both countries, as well as the British Pakistani community who want to visit or visit their relatives," said Andrew Brem, Commercial Director of British Airways.
Although BA's return is good news for the Pakistani aviation sector, international airlines operating in the region are still shocked by the heavy losses suffered following a terrorist attack in India earlier this year. led the two countries to the brink of war.
Pakistan has restricted its airspace – a vital corridor for traffic between Europe and Asia – at the end of February, after India launched an airstrike in response to a Kashmir suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers.
The closure of the airspace has forced airlines to make expensive and lengthy detours. Mr. Khan had suggested that the restrictions could be lifted after the conclusion of the Indian elections, which ended on May 23, but the ban is still in effect.
"If British Airways offers its own plane to Pakistan, it means that Pakistan is no longer on a blacklist," said Mark Martin, founder of aviation group Martin Consulting. "But the underlying challenge is the closure of airspace."
Source link
