Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Sunday dismissed “incorrect and misleading” media reports about an eight-day closure of Islamabad International Airport, clarifying the exact date and time of the planned shutdown.
A statement issued by PAA Spokesperson Saifullah Khan said, “According to the NOTAMs issued, due to air activities ahead of Independence Day on August 14, arrival and departure flights will be suspended for only two hours on specific days and times.”
From Aug 6-9 and Aug 11-14, the airport will be shut from 11am-1pm PST.
On Aug 9 and 11, the airport will also be shut from 8-10pm.
“Apart from these brief interruptions, all flights at the airport will continue as usual,” the statement said, advising passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on their schedule.
The government has said that this year’s Independence Day would be celebrated under the banner of “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) — the period of conflict with India in May — to demonstrate the nation’s resilience, progress and pride.
While discussing the activities of the scheduled celebrations, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal stressed that every sector and official in charge should ensure that all universities and schools observe the day in the same format. The same was advised for provincial celebrations and celebrations abroad in collaboration with the Overseas Ministry.
During the four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, flight disruptions left hundreds of passengers stranded at the country’s major airports, including Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot airports.
The Ministry of Defence informed the National Assembly on Friday that the PAA lost Rs4.1 billion from April 24 to June 30 due to the closure.
PAA also issued a schedule for temporary runway closure at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International airport owing to bird activity. The closure will be in effect daily from 5am to 8am, starting July 1 until September 15.
Lahore: Report by M.Shezad The Punjab government has announced plans to develop a comprehensive water supply and sewerage master plan for 14 districts of the province. The project, a joint initiative of the Housing and Local Government Departments, is expected to be completed within six months. According to officials, Housing Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal has directed…
Al-Hilal sign Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez from Premier League champions Liverpool in a deal worth £46.3m.
Islamabad – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has left for Doha on a one-day official visit to attend the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit scheduled for September 15, 2025. The summit has been convened in response to Israeli airstrikes on Doha and the worsening humanitarian situation in Palestine marked by ongoing violations of human rights. The Prime…
The second film acquired by Eli Roth’s The Horror Section is a low-budget, found footage nightmare that has taken horror festivals by storm. “Dream Eater,” co-written and co-directed by Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm and Alex Lee Williams and starring Williams and Drumm, is set to debut theatrically on Oct. 24. Per the official logline, “The…
Australia’s Tony Hemming has resigned from his position as the chief curator, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Saturday.
He was appointed as chief curator in July last year as no extension was given to previous chief curator Agha Zahid.
“One of Hemming’s immediate tasks will be to prepare pitches for the upcoming five ICC World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh [two in August/September] and England [three in October]. Hemming will also oversee pitch preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which Pakistan will host from Feb 19 to March 9,” the PCB had said at the time.
“Hemming is a highly respected curator with nearly four decades of experience. He has worked at various iconic cricket grounds in Australia, including Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania, as well as in countries such as Bangladesh, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he was the ICC Head Curator from 2007 to 2017 in Dubai.
“During his time with the ICC, Hemming also oversaw pitch preparation at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which was one of Pakistan’s home [series] venues between 2009 and 2019,” the PCB statement had further said.
