Emirates Airlines has imposed a lifetime travel ban on Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and is also considering initiating legal proceedings against him for keeping the aircraft ‘hostage’ for several hours at Lahore airport after the flight was diverted by the Pakistani government to Lahore from Islamabad over security concerns, a private news channel has reported.
According to the channel, the airliner was forced to take the decision after Qadri refused to get off the aircraft in Lahore and also barred other passengers from disembarking until he negotiated a deal with the provincial authorities.
The airliner believes that this act of Qadri was tantamount to hijacking therefore it was mulling legal options.