‘Someone May Keep Our PM’: Pakistani Lawmaker Blasts Malaysia Impounding Plane Over Loan Dues

Last week, a passenger plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was held back by Malaysian authorities due to a British court case over the jet’s lease, worth $14 million. After the Boeing 777 aircraft was seized, other arrangements were put in order to carry travellers from Kuala Lumpur to Pakistan.

Taking a dig at the major international loans Pakistan is currently buried under, a lawmaker from the country targeted the nation’s prime minister, Imran Khan, calling his government “irresponsible” after the PIA aircraft was seized in Malaysia on 15 January.

“Today Malaysia kept our airplane, tomorrow someone will keep the prime minister over non-payment of loans”, the Pakistani parliamentarian, who hasn’t been identified by the media yet, can be heard saying in Hindi in a video posted by journalist Naila Inayat.  

The speaker further goes on to say that under an irresponsible government, it is certain that one of these days, some country will detain the Pakistani prime minister over pending loan payments, which will be a matter of immense shame.

​The almost two-minute video has gone viral on social media, with thousands of likes and re-tweets, as well as hundreds of comments.

As reflected by the comments on the clip, Indian netizens jumped at the opportunity to troll Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan over his country’s debt-ridden economy.

​On 15 January, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger place was seized by Malaysian authorities due to a British court case over the jet’s lease.

According to the Kuala Lumpur High Court, the plaintiff of the case is Peregrine Aviation Charlie Limited and the matter pertains to two jets leased to PIA by the Dublin-based AerCap – the world’s largest aircraft lessor – in 2015. 

After the PIA aircraft was seized in Malaysia, the airline announced that it will pursue the matter through diplomatic channels.

​Pakistan, with a population of over 200 million people, is currently struggling through an economic crisis. The country has taken massive loans from other nations, including China, Saudi Arabia, as well as the UAE. 

In addition, Pakistan also received $1 billion from the World Bank and $500 million from the Asian Development Bank to help the country in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. 

Sourse: sputniknews.com