ASF officers who assaulted passengers punished

ISLAMABAD: The Airport Security Force (ASF) has come under fire after a video of its officers assaulting passengers last week on Thursday at the Islamabad International Airport (IIAP) went viral on social media with sources saying the aviation force has awarded a 'quarter guard punishment' to the personnel involved in the incident.

The incident had occurred after bad weather conditions forced a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Riyadh to land in Islamabad instead of its original destination of Peshawar, stranding its passengers at the airport in the federal capital. Already not at their desired location and facing further delays in their flight's next take-off, the passengers staged a protest at the airport, consequent to which the ASF personnel were summoned to bring the situation under control. However, instead of restoring calm, the ASF officers allegedly got into a brawl with the upset passengers and slapped and punched the protesters, further fuelling the spat. The viral video further shows an ASF personnel throwing a chair at the demonstrators; luckily, however, no one was hurt. On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the IIAP manager had already submitted a written report of the incident.

The CAA also took notice of the incident and has formed a joint inquiry committee to investigate the matter, the spokesperson added.