National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday said that a plane carrying Pakistani lawmakers was not allowed to land in Kabul last year due to “political reasons”, according to Dawn.
In April last year, a parliamentary delegation, headed by Qaiser, had departed for Afghanistan on a three-day official visit but had returned home within minutes after Afghan authorities did not allow their plane to land at Kabul airport.
The NA speaker commented on the situation for the very first time on Thursday, citing political reasons behind the incident.
Talking to a gathering of Pakistani and Afghan businessmen in Islamabad, he said: “My visit to Afghanistan was hit by politics. I had not commented on the incident at the time.”
At the event, the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber and Industry (PAJCCI) stakeholders’ meeting, delegates stressed that political differences should be set aside as they have an impact on bilateral and transit trade between the countries.
The speaker endorsed the views and said that it is unfortunate that politics has become a hurdle in other matters.
“Politics should not play a role in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Qaiser said, calling on Pakistani and Afghan traders to float proposals to boost bilateral trade and remove obstacles that affect it.
The NA speaker went on to say that PM Imran is “monitoring relations with Afghanistan”, adding that he is advocating for the Afghans at an international level and calling for the release of their frozen assets.
“The prime minister has been urging the international community to avert the humanitarian crisis in the country [that has been] ravaged by years of conflict,” he said.
