300 Pakistanis stranded at Guangzhou airport

ISLAMABAD: As many as 300 Pakistanis have been stranded in Chinese city of Guangzhou after their flight was abruptly cancelled on July 29, Geo News reported Wednesday evening.

The stranded passengers, majority of them belonging to Chaman district of Balochistan, have appealed to the Pakistan government to help them. Furthermore, the Chinese police also arrested some Pakistanis after their visas expired. It is expected that more Pakistanis could be arrested in the next few days. The flight was cancelled as Shaheen Air International plane was not allowed to land at the Guangzhou airport after heavy taxes were imposed on the airline, according to sources. The airline had promised to send another plane on August 2 for the stranded passengers but that flight was also cancelled. The airline has also refunded the tickets to the passengers but they have complained that all the other flights cost a lot more than the price they have been refunded. Ahmedullah, one of the Pakistanis stuck at the Chinese airport, told Geo News that their July 29 flight was cancelled without any prior warning. He shared that authorities promised to fly them out on August 2 and August 5 but both of those flights were cancelled.