We didn’t jump the queue, claims Arsalan Iftikhar

LONDON: Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhamamd Chaudhry’s son Dr Arsalan Iftikhar has insisted that they didn’t jump the queue at Jaddah airport and no rules were broken in any form. 

He told Geo News in an interview here that his family believes in merit and rule of law and cannot think of breaking law or seeking privilege. He explained: “My father has devoted his life to the principle of rule of law and he wouldn’t think of breaking the same principles for which he has fought all his life. What happened at the Jeddah airport was out of misunderstanding and nothing to do with breaking the airport rules.”

Arsalan Iftikhar told Geo News that he was in fact following the rules and went to top of the queue after the airport announcement system asked the business class ticket holders to approach the reception for check-in. 

“It was a small area at the airport as can be seen in the video that is being used against us. There was no separate queue for the business class ticket holders so I thought that I should be going on top of the queue to follow the instructions or else.”

A video of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhamamd Chaudhry and his son Arsalan Iftikhar went viral on the internet, showing the pair being accused by a man, who is not visible in the video, of bypassing a queue at an airport. In the video, Arsalan Iftikhar can be seen arguing with the man who confronted him for bypassing the queue. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remained silent as his son argued with the man in his effort to explain as to why he bypassed the queue.

Arsalan Iftikhar explained that he was at the Jeddah airport with his parents to take flight to London in business class. 

“We are here for a family wedding. The video has been taken out of context. There is no way we would try to break the queue rules in Saudi Arabia. If the same had happened in Pakistan then it could be said that we are trying to get protocol or something but why and how we would do the same in in a foreign country where there are no Pakistanis in the system and no one would facilitate us. I would like to stress that none of what has been alleged was in our mind. My father acted in grace and asked me not to argue with the man who, it later turned out, was filming us secretly just to create noise.” Arsalan Iftikhar said that he will take up the issue with the PEMRA over ‘twisted news’ aired by news channels in Pakistan and will, separately, write to the Saudi authorities to take action against the person who secretly made the film and “broke the local laws”.