A Flydubai flight en route to Sri Lanka, carrying two Israeli citizens, made an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan, overnight. However, the Civil Aviation Authority has denied having any knowledge of the presence of the Israeli citizens on Pakistani soil.
The incident occurred despite the lack of diplomatic relations between Israel and Pakistan.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident, stating that they worked with relevant parties to ensure the well-being of the Israeli passengers, according to Times of Israel.
The flight resumed its journey to Sri Lanka shortly after the emergency landing, with the Israelis remaining on board.
Pakistan does not recognise Israel and passports issued to its citizens are not valid for the latter based on diplomatic support for Palestine.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) spokesperson Saifullah Khan said on Thursday that they were unaware of any reported presence of Israeli nationals on a Flydubai flight that made an emergency landing in Karachi, Pakistan earlier this week.
The Flydubai flight FZ-569, which was traveling from Dubai to Colombo, Sri Lanka, had to make an emergency landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport at 11 PM on Wednesday after the condition of a passenger on board deteriorated.
“The report about the Flydubai flight 569 just had that it was en route to Colombo from Dubai and the condition of some woman [aboard] worsened and it landed at 11pm [on Wednesday] in Karachi. But she expired. Her body was sent to [Pakistani charity] Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation in Malir and the plane left at 3am [on Thursday]. It was not mentioned [in the report] how many passengers were aboard and what their nationalities were,” Khan told Arab News.
Khan clarified that the passenger who died on the Flydubai flight was a Sri Lankan national. Her body was later flown to Sri Lanka on a separate flight.
Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has repeatedly called for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders. The country has also demanded the world stop Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that the Flydubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a medical emergency. The Sri Lankan woman on board was examined by a medical team and declared dead, after which her body was removed from the plane. No other passengers disembarked.
