LAHORE: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be operating special flights to Doha to bring back Pakistani pilgrims stranded there.
On Monday, Chief Executive Officer of the PIA Nayyar Hayat directed to operate special flights to Doha to bring back the stranded pilgrims.
The PIA’s country manager has been asked to coordinate with the pilgrims in Doha and make special arrangements for their return. PIA officials in Qatar have also been directed to contact the Pakistani embassy in Doha.
Pakistani pilgrims, who were travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah via Qatar, were stuck in Doha after several countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar for allegedly supporting terror networks and extremism.
According to media reports, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE announced to cut all land, sea and air links with Qatar on Monday.
The unprecedented measures against Doha include ordering Qatari citizens to leave within 14 days and banning citizens of the three Gulf States from travelling to Qatar.
The decision has plunged Qatar into chaos and ignited the biggest diplomatic crisis in the Gulf since the 1991 war against Iraq.
