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| Pakistan Rehman Malik: Passengers force ex-minister off plane | Pakistan Rehman Malik: Passengers force ex-minister off plane |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A group of irate passengers prevented a top Pakistani politician from boarding a flight, after they were kept on board for two hours until he arrived. | A group of irate passengers prevented a top Pakistani politician from boarding a flight, after they were kept on board for two hours until he arrived. |
| It is not clear why former Interior Minister Rehman Malik and another politician were so late to turn up. | |
| But the passengers were so incensed a scheduled flight was kept waiting for the politicians, they forced them back. | But the passengers were so incensed a scheduled flight was kept waiting for the politicians, they forced them back. |
| Footage shows Mr Malik confronted by jeering passengers who shout: "You should be ashamed of yourself". | |
| "150 passengers have been put out because of you," they continued, demanding an apology and bemoaning the state of the nation. | "150 passengers have been put out because of you," they continued, demanding an apology and bemoaning the state of the nation. |
| "We've taken it for 68 years. Are we going to take it another 68?" one is heard saying in despair. | "We've taken it for 68 years. Are we going to take it another 68?" one is heard saying in despair. |
| The other politician, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a member of the ruling PML-N party, was also turned back by passengers. | The other politician, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a member of the ruling PML-N party, was also turned back by passengers. |
| Monday night's Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Karachi to Islamabad eventually took off without the two men. | Monday night's Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Karachi to Islamabad eventually took off without the two men. |
| Mr Malik, who blamed the delay on PIA on his Twitter feed, appears to remonstrate but his comments are barely audible as they are drowned out by the furious passengers. | |
| Analysis: Nosheen Abbas, BBC Urdu, Islamabad | |
| Pakistan's social media is ablaze with talk of VIP culture, and with anger and frustration being vented against Mr Malik. | |
| It is all about the assumptions that VIPs have the right to hold up flights, skip queues and cause traffic jams - and the public just has to suffer. | |
| Two years ago a report that a woman had to give birth in a car because roads had been cleared to make way for a VIP sparked anger. Some even allege that people have died on their way to hospitals because of this. | |
| The frustration was palpable among ordinary Pakistanis I spoke to today. | |
| "I think it is very good what happened to Rehman Malik," one person told me. Another pointed out: "Now when someone gets money they instantly hire guards to protect them - it's all just for show to get good treatment. The traffic, police, army, everyone accommodates them." | |
| Some appeared resigned to the way the things are: "Pakistan seems like it's only made for VIPs - it's a VIP country." | |
| Pakistanis are sharing the video on social networks and hailing the passengers who took action, and the incident has re-ignited a debate on "VIP culture" in Pakistan. | Pakistanis are sharing the video on social networks and hailing the passengers who took action, and the incident has re-ignited a debate on "VIP culture" in Pakistan. |
| PIA told the Dawn newspaper the flight had been delayed for 90 minutes due to a technical issue and said passengers had received text messages about the delay. It insisted that it does not promote "VIP culture". | PIA told the Dawn newspaper the flight had been delayed for 90 minutes due to a technical issue and said passengers had received text messages about the delay. It insisted that it does not promote "VIP culture". |
| An aide to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that on top of the technical delay of 90 minutes, the aircraft had been held up for a further 25 minutes because Mr Malik was late, AFP reports. | An aide to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that on top of the technical delay of 90 minutes, the aircraft had been held up for a further 25 minutes because Mr Malik was late, AFP reports. |