Engineer Rohan Chaudhary
Mirpur– Prominent overseas Kashmiri community leaders, including Munir Hussain Khanpuri, Chaudhry Shehbab, and Munir Hussain Atif, have strongly advocated for the construction of Mirpur International Airport, calling it a pressing necessity. Rejecting the stance of the Pakistan Airports Authority, they recalled that three years ago, a petition was submitted through the Prime Minister’s Citizen Portal, which was dismissed on the grounds of insufficient passenger traffic in Azad Kashmir. However, the overseas Kashmiri community persisted and submitted a petition through the Pakistan High Commission in London, after which authorities cited the issue of nautical miles as a new justification.
The leaders further argued that when they countered this claim—highlighting that several airports in Pakistan are located within 60 to 70 nautical miles of each other—the authorities changed their stance, now contending that the construction of an airport in Mirpur would render Islamabad and Sialkot airports redundant. They questioned this logic, asserting that the people of Mirpur division should no longer endure inconvenience due to such unfounded concerns.
The overseas Kashmiri leaders emphasized that Azad Kashmir is an autonomous region and should not be linked to the distance of Pakistani airports in a way that deprives it of essential infrastructure. They pointed out that between 1.5 to 2 million overseas Kashmiris from Mirpur division are economic migrants, with thousands of young people attempting to leave the country through illegal means each year, leading to tragic drownings at sea.
They also highlighted the struggles faced by people traveling from Kotli and other areas, who must endure dangerous journeys of 5 to 10 hours to reach Sialkot or Lahore airports, often facing risks of robbery and life-threatening incidents. The leaders reminded the Pakistani government of its past promises and urged it to take concrete action instead of offering empty assurances. They called for the immediate commencement of construction on Mirpur International Airport to ease travel difficulties and ensure the safety of the region’s residents.
