Naqvi, Khawaja visit Lahore Airport, unhappy with facilities

Lahore: Federal Interior and Narcotics Control Minister Mohsin Naqvi Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the facilities available for passengers at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi along with Federal Minister of Aviation and Defense Khawaja Asif paid two-hour long visit to Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore.

The federal ministers reviewed the management for the passengers at the immigration counters, also observed the search process of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), Airports Security Force (ASF) and Customs. They also reviewed the facilities available for the passengers at the airport.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the facilities for passengers at the airport, the federal ministers decided that the immigration counters would be increased at the Lahore airport for the convenience of passengers going abroad.

The Home Minister ordered that the long and three-tier search process at the airport be simplified and expedited.

He asked ASF, ANF and Customs officials for a plan to facilitate the search and directed them to prepare and submit a workable plan in the next 24 hours.

A meeting was also held in the conference room of the airport under the chairmanship of the federal ministers, in which a briefing was given about the measures to facilitate the passengers at the airport. The federal ministers issued necessary instructions to the relevant authorities to increase the facilities for the passengers.

Speaking in the meeting, Federal Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif said that after the successful experience at Lahore Airport, the search process will be started at other airports as well. The relevant institutions need to take immediate steps to facilitate the movement of passengers at the airports.

The Minister of Interior while ordering the increase in the number of immigration counters at the arrival and departure terminal abroad said: “The number of immigration counters should be increased immediately to save the passengers from the hassle of waiting. The final plan to increase immigration counters should be presented within three days”.

Mohsin Naqvi further said that by increasing the immigration counters, passengers will be relieved from waiting, and out-of-the-box measures should be taken to provide maximum facilities to the passengers.