Complaint against Emirates ‘hijacking’ launched in SC Sunday, July 13, 2014 MANCHESTER: A formal complaint for the alleged Emirates plane hijacking has been lodged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (TUQ), the patron-in-chief of Minhaj-ul-Quran Movement and founding chairman of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), and his associates. The compliant was lodged before the Expatriate Complaint Wing of the recently-created Human Rights Cell at the Supreme Court by an overseas Pakistani journalist who had traveled with TUQ on a June 23 Emirates Airlines flight from London to Lahore via Dubai. Senior journalist Sohail Iqbal, who represents an Islamabad-based wire service and is based in Manchester with his family, alleges in his complaint that TUQ and around 150 of his followers forcibly took over the Emirates Flight EK-612 for over five hours, after the Civil Aviation Authority diverted it to Lahore citing security reasons. The plane remained stranded at Lahore airport during this period until TUQ agreed to leave it following security assurance by Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. The complainant has pleaded that “a case of hijacking, hooliganism and rowdiness” be registered against TUQ and his followers, for which, he claims, substantial evidence is available, in addition to eyewitness accounts. The complainant was part of the media team from London that accompanied TUQ - all paid for by Pakistan Awami Tehreek - on the self-proclaimed mission to stir a “green revolution” in the country. The complainant has alleged that the paid journalists and around 30 supporters of TUQ boarded the Emirates flight from London Heathrow to Dubai. The entourage was joined in Dubai by over 120 more followers of TUQ who had come from different countries. After over three hours of transit in Dubai, they all boarded the Emirates flight bound for Islamabad. The complainant states that the plane entered Islamabad airspace at 8:30 in the morning but could not land there for over half an hour, despite the captain having announced the landing. He further states that as soon as the captain announced that the plane was being diverted to Lahore, some TUQ followers went to consult their leader sitting in business class and then returned to their respective seats. “Moments before the plane landed in Lahore, these people began directing the rest of the TUQ followers to block all the exit doors in groups of 8 to 10, to prevent anyone from leaving the plane and resist in case of a commando action,” the complaint states. “Those blocking the doors refused to sit back on their seats despite several pleas by the captain and repeated efforts of the cabin crew,” it further states. The complainant has requested the Supreme Court to hold an independent inquiry and direct the Ministry of Interior to initiate “criminal proceedings against TUQ and his followers”. He has prayed to the Court that TUQ associates can be easily identified through video footage, and that they along with their leader must be prosecuted for taking over the plane and making its passengers hostage. Sohail Iqbal was contacted by a journalist linked with Dr Qadri’s media team with a request to travel with him and provide uncritical coverage but the senior journalist released exclusive details to media when in Pakistan from inside the plane. It is understood he is currently undergoing medical treatment for the trauma and depression over his experience in the plane.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 10:09:06 +0000
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