ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 The PIA management has asked the interior ministry to pay a Rs4.8 million fine imposed by the Saudi government on a flight chartered by Interior Minister Rehman Malik for sending 200 people to perform Haj, Dawn learnt on Monday.

Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar earlier said the Rs4.8 million fine would be paid by those who had sponsored the flight.

Sources in the PIA said the national flag carrier had been facing unprecedented losses and was unable to pay the fine.

The fine was imposed by the Saudi authorities when the chartered flight landed in Jeddah after the deadline for the last Haj flight had passed. The PIA sources said the fight was delayed on the directives of the authorities in the interior ministry to accommodate some close friends and relatives of the minister, adding that PIA officials were reluctant to let the flight proceed to Saudi Arabia after the delay. Sources in the ministry said the expenses of the chartered flight were borne by some other people, including a real estate developer.

However, there was as impression that the expenses were being met by the minister. The flight carried 189 passengers and crew.

The Saudi authorities at first decided to hold the Airbus-310 but allowed it to return after diplomatic intervention. The flight, PK-7412, took off after a delay of about 15 hours because of non-availability of a special permission needed from the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. The permission could not be secured but the flight took off under pressure from the higher authorities.

The special flight also upset the PIA schedule for Europe and other important regions, the sources said.

The Saudi authorities had announced that no plane carrying pilgrims from any country would be allowed to land in the kingdom after midnight of Nov 10, while the Saudi Airlines would be allowed to land till Nov 12 and after that the Saudi airspace would be closed for such flights.

They had warned that in case of a violation of the deadline the plane could be confiscated or subjected to a heavy penalty.

The PIA flight landed at the Jeddah Haj terminal at 2.35pm Saudi time, about 14 and a half hours after the deadline.