The visit of a Pakistani parliamentary delegation to Afghanistan has been scrapped just as the plane carrying the officials was about to land in Kabul.
“Speaker's visit to Kabul postponed as airport was closed due to security threat. The plane was about to descend when the control tower informed of the closure of airport. New dates for the visit will be decided after mutual consultations,” Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, said in a tweet on April 8.
The five-member parliamentary delegation, led by parliamentary secretary Asad Qaisar, was looking to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries during the three-day visit, as well as support of progress in the war-torn country’s peace process.
Former senator and leftist politician Farhatullah Babar questioned the timing of the trip's mysterious cancellation.
"Security threat arose just when landing. Was visit not cleared beforehand? Visit postponed indefinitely, new date given. No regrets by hosts. Decision conveyed by tower operator. Normal protocol of high level rep of host speaking to guest from tower ignored. There’s more to it," Babar said in a tweet.