PIA Suspends Kabul Operation After Country Rep Held At Gunpoint By Taliban Authorities

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced suspension of flights from Kabul after its staff was intimidated by the Taliban authorities. The PIA said that the decision was made due to 'heavy handed' interference by the Taliban which included arbitrary changes in rules and intimidation of staff.

A CNN journalist quoted a source as saying that PIA's country representative in Afghanistan was held at gunpoint for hours after the Taliban authorities accused him of helping people escape the country.

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PIA was the only international company operating in Kabul. Earlier, the Taliban government ordered the airline to reduce prices to what they were before the fall of Kabul in August.

"We are suspending our flight operations to Kabul from today because of the heavy handedness of the authorities," a PIA spokesman said in a statement.