New Delhi: The relief aircraft which travelled to Nawabshah airport in Sindh, Pakistan was supposed to refuel itself for the return journey as well as the stranded plane. But in their haste, Indian officials forgot to carry something called the 'Shell' card with which they would have paid for the fuel.
Pakistan came to the rescue. PIA officials spoke to DGCA and Air India here and it was PIA that forked out the cost of the fuel that was needed for both planes. "They did everything," said an Indian official. "We couldn't have asked for more."
The Air India plane AI-940 had landed in deserted Nawabshah airport around 3 am after emergency procedures were set in motion. Air India authorities instantly alerted the foreign office in New Delhi and the Indian high commission in Islamabad.
Foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai spoke to Sharat Sabharwal, India's high commissioner in Islamabad, while senior officials here spoke to Salman Bashir, Pakistan's high commissioner-designate in Delhi. The foreign office in Islamabad was roused as well.
Indian officials involved in the rescue operation said the Pakistani system worked at lightning speed. The DGCA was given speedy flight clearances from Pakistani civil aviation authorities. Their interior ministry even offered to give all 126 passengers and six crew members interim visas for Pakistan if they needed to stay for an extra day while the plane was repaired.
10/07/12 Indrani Bagchi/Times of India
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