The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Thursday rejected the reports that it operated a special flight to bring some high-profile people back from the United Kingdom.

According to a PIA spokesperson, the national flag carrier brought back around 1,600 Pakistanis from different countries from April 3 to April 13 and most them were brought from the United Kingdom. PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan however denied the report that some VIPs were brought back from the United Kingdom through a special flight. He said that PIA sold tickets for flights through its offices and website and made announcements through the media so that interested people could book seats for themselves.

The PIA spokesperson said the PIA as a national flag carrier was above any political affiliation and it would play its role with absolute responsibility and impartiality in the prevailing situation. He said that some quarters were spreading misinformation to tarnish the reputation the PIA has earned in this crisis. He said that local and foreign passers were praising the PIA for its services in the ongoing crisis. He said the PIA had eliminated the VIP protocol services a long time ago and it was sticking to this policy. He denied any violation of the policy however.