Maimana-bound Kam Air flight returns to Kabul

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): A Kam Air passenger plane carrying 70 passengers was not allowed landing in Maimana, the capital of northern Faryab province, and forced to return to Kabul when it was in the airspace of Sar-i-Pul province.

A lawmaker from Faryab province Hashmatullah Arman and Junbish Party Youth Wing Head Dr. Kaneksha Turkistani were among the passengers traveling to the province to facilitate a settlement of ongoing crisis over the appointment of new governor.

A well-placed source from Junbish Party accused the government of prolonging the crisis and ordering the plane to return.

In today’s Wolesi Jirga session Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani said passenger plane in which Arman was traveling was ordered to return to Kabul back. He ordered investigation into the incident.

But Kam Air Head Sulaiman Umar said it was an ordinary flight en-route to Maimana but they were told by the Aviation Authority that Maimana Airport was not secure and the plane should not land.

Armed protest began in Maimana, the capital of Faryab province, after the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) approved the appointment of Dawod Laghmani as Faryab governor.

Gen. Dostum reacted to the move and told his supporters that he was not consulted in the appointment of Faryab governor. He ordered supporters to stand against Laghmani’s appointment thus from the past two weeks, protest has been underway in Maimana.

Nh/ma