Imran Khan returns to New York as plane loaned by Saudi Arabia develops snag

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, who had earlier seen off the prime minister, returned back to the airport as the jet came back.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his delegation had to return to New York after their plane, on loan from the Saudi Arabian government, developed a technical fault on Friday while it was heading back to Islamabad, reports Pakistan media.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan (Reuters photo)

“The prime minister had taken off from New York’’s Kennedy International Airport on Friday evening in a special jet placed at his disposal by the Saudi government, but it flew back in a couple of hours to have the problem fixed,” reports thenews.com.pk.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, who had earlier seen off the prime minister, returned back to the airport as the jet came back. She escorted the prime minister back to the Roosevelt Hotel where he was staying during his seven-day trip, the website reported.

Khan, who led the Pakistan delegation to the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, waited at the airport for some time while technicians tried to fix the fault, but more work was needed which they would try to complete it. Officials said if the plane was not fixed on Saturday, Khan would take a commercial flight back to Pakistan.

Khan was widely criticized for holding out a nuclear threat during his address at the UNGA, where he made a shrill pitch for Kashmir, an issue he has been trying to rake up at all international forums without much success. During his speech, Khan suggested that nuclear-armed Pakistan may not have much of a choice if a conventional war were to break out between Pakistan and India which he described as a country seven-times” its size. “What choice would I have… I will fight,” he said.