A Bamiyan-bound flight with 30 passengers on board was forced to return to Kabul on Tuesday after angry relatives of two local MPs allegedly prevented the plane from landing.
 
Reports indicate the relatives of the two MPs converged on the runway at Bamiyan airport and prevented the flight from landing. They also allegedly threw stones at the plane as it tried to touch down.
 
The drama unfolded after the two MPs, Ghulam Hussain Naseri and Abdul Rahman Shaheedani, missed their flight at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Their relatives then forced the incoming plane in Bamiyan to return to Kabul.  
 
According to reports, Shaheedani’s son is an airport official and police officer and also allegedly played a role in disrupting the flight’s landing.
 
Osman Samadi, the CEO of Kam Air said after returning to Kabul, passengers had to disembark.
 
“We got the passengers off the plane and refueled, then the plane was ready for takeoff. The important thing is that now our pilots think that area (Bamiyan) is no longer a safe area,” said Osman Samadi, CEO of Kam Air.
 
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) has blasted the MPs and said the actions of their relatives was against international and local aviation laws.  
 
ACAA officials have said they will file an official complaint against the lawmakers.
 
“Generally when the check-in area is closed, then there is another process which needs to be completed, therefore no new passenger is accepted, these two guys (MPs) had arrived after the check-in area closed and even the plane doors had been closed,” said ACAA chief of operations Mahmoud Shah Habibi.
 
But, the two MPs have rejected the claims as baseless and said they reached the airport in Kabul on time and that they did not call on anyone to disrupt the flight.
 
Meanwhile, footage obtained by TOLOnews of the return flight to Bamiyan shows that MP Abdul Rahman Shaheedani, who is on board with another MP Ghulam Husain Naseri, arguing that he made the move to “break the taboo” and to make people realize his “position” and his “place”.
 
“It should not be like this anymore that I am not known (by the people). Today I broke the taboo,” Shaheedani told passengers in the video.
 
However, in a phone call with TOLOnews, Shaheedani said he and his colleague did not have hand in the incident.
 
“I contacted (my relatives) that I missed the flight and I went home. I informed the people (about my flight) but I am not aware about what happened and what did not happen later or whether the people had gathered (in Bamiyan Airport) or not,” Shaheedani said in the phone call.
 
In reaction, Kabul residents criticized MPs for what they called bullying tactics and violating the law – stating government was weak in terms of preventing such instances.
 
“For God sake! This country is already filled with many problems. Let’s solve problems instead of showing our power,” said Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Kabul.
 
“I call on the lawmakers to stop their bullying (tactics) and avoid making problems for people,” said a resident of Kabul, Abdul Wase.