Pakistan International Airlines temporarily halts flights to and from Afghanistan: Reports

Pakistan has temporarily halted Kabul flight operations and is not currently evacuating anyone, according to media reports. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), a state-run airline, was the only commercial airline operating flights to and from Kabul in recent days. The flights were being operated to assist in the evacuation of diplomats and international nationals from Afghanistan following the Taliban's seizure of power last week in the war-torn country.

PIA temporarily suspends flights to Afghanistan

Due to a lack of infrastructure and piles of waste at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, PIA briefly ceased Kabul aircraft operations, Geo News reported on Saturday. In its report, the Pakistani media house, citing individuals close to the situation,  reported that there were no immigration authorities or security checks at the Kabul airport. Since the Taliban assumed control of the country, sanitation personnel have also failed to do their tasks and garbage on the tarmac at the airport could result in a terrible disaster, Geo News quoted sources as saying.

Kabul Airport controlled by US military is flooding with waste

The US controls the security of Kabul Airport, and they are only interested in military planes, according to the report's sources. The report stated that PIA has "temporarily" halted flights to Afghanistan due to a lack of basic facilities at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International airport. According to a source quoted in the report, flight operations will be shut down for a few days.

The report also quoted PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez as saying, "We have talked to Afghan Civil Aviation Authority for restoration of all required facilities at Kabul airport as soon as possible so that PIA could resume its flight operation." Hafeez informed that PIA has so far evacuated 1,500 people, including journalists, UN officials and Pakistani nationals, in five flights.

Taliban seizes Afghanistan government

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on Sunday, just two weeks before the United States was supposed to end its two-decade-long war in the country. As Afghan security personnel trained and equipped by the US and its allies slipped away, militants rushed over the nation, taking all major cities in a matter of days. Nationals from multiple countries have been gathering at the Kabul international airport in an attempt to flee the Taliban's rule. 

(With inputs from PTI, Image: AP/ Unsplash)