By News Desk / Saad Hasan
Published: January 14, 2016
Pakistan International Airlines office at Barakhamba Road, New Delhi came under attack on Thursday, Express News reported.
Reports suggested the office of the national carrier was attacked by Hindu extremists.
Shiv Sena storms BCCI HQ to protest Indo-Pak cricket meeting
The PIA in an online statement said an angry mob, raising anti-Pakistan slogans attacked its office and damaged computers and property. Police was called at the site.
According to a spokesperson, the reservation system of the airline is not working as the mob had broken the computer and equipment inside the office.
However, PIA’s flight operation to India will not be affected by the incident and P-270 will operate as per schedule from Friday, a spokesperson said.
PIA has two town offices in India, the other one located in Mumbai. Besides reservations, the offices also house the operational setup, which ensures on-time departure and arrival of flights besides handling passenger issues.
Following the attack, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi contacted the Indian government on the incident and asked for a probe.
“All PIA staff is safe,” a Pakistan High Commission spokesperson said, according to Express News. “Provision of security is the responsibility of the Indian government.”
In October last year, a meeting between Pakistan and India’s cricket boards officials was cancelled after Shiv Sena workers stormed the Mumbai office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shahryar Khan and the head of the PCB’s executive committee Najam Sethi had arrived in India to hold talks with BCCI in a bid to finalise the India-Pakistan cricket series in December.
Moreover, in January 2015, Indian authorities had sent a closure notice to the New Delhi office of PIA in a move that could further strain the volatile relations between the two archrivals.
The purchase of PIA’s properties in New Delhi was unauthorised, India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in the notice and directed Pakistan’s national flag carrier to dispose of them.
Delhi moves against PIA office
PIA did not obtain permission from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) before purchasing the properties in New Delhi’s upscale central Connaught Place, says the ED, which is run by India’s finance ministry. Under India’s foreign exchange laws, foreign entities must obtain clearance from the RBI before buying any property in the country.
Pakistan demands security for PIA offices in New Delhi, Mumbai
Pakistan High Commission in India has asked Indian Ministry of External Affairs to provide the PIA offices in New Delhi and Mumbai with adequate security following the ransacking incident by Hindu extremists on Thursday.
According to a statement by the Foreign Office, the commission has been assured that the Indian government would take all the necessary steps for PIA offices’ security in the country.
Hindu extremists attack PIA office in New Delhi - The Express Tribune
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