KABUL: Supporters of two
Afghan MPs who missed a domestic
flight from Kabul blocked an airport runway with rocks, forcing the
plane to return for the lawmakers, officials said.
The Kam Air
flight was abruptly
forced to fly
back from central Bamiyan province earlier this week, triggering uproar and ridicule on social media with many accusing the lawmakers of abusing their powers.
Five people, including airport security officials, have been arrested over the "illegal diversion", the interior ministry said Thursday.
"When the two MPs arrived at Kabul airport, the
plane was on the runway and ready to take off," Humayun Stanakzai, a director of civil aviation, told AFP.
"The MPs got
angry and called their men in Bamiyan. When the
plane approached Bamiyan airport, their men were at the airport blocking the runway with rocks. The
plane could **t land and had to be diverted
back to Kabul."
The
plane carrying 30 passengers had to be refuelled and took off again for Bamiyan with the two MPs on board.
The lawmakers, Abdul Rahman Shaheedani and Hussain Naseri, were **t immediately reachable for comment.
Kam Air, a private carrier, on Wednesday said they were indefinitely suspending all flights to Bamiyan, adding that the incident could have risked the lives of the passengers and airport workers.
Afghan lawmakers are regularly accused of corruption, nepotism and abusing their authority to enrich themselves.
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