Detention at Heathrow Airport: UK BF releases crew members of PIA after interview

UK Border Force (BF) has released all five crew members of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) after two-hour interview and allowed the departure to flight PK-788 to Karachi. According to sources, PK-788 (London to Karachi) of the PIA had been stopped by the UK BF when it was about to depart from Heathrow Airport. They said that the immigration officers of the UK BF came in the flight and took all crew members including pilots with them and added that their luggage had also been inspected after being off-loaded from the plane.
Moreover, sources said that the UK BF had released seven crew members immediately and two of them were later allowed to board in the flight PK-788 while the rest of the five crew members, who are still in UK, had been interviewed for almost two hours. Sources said that flight PK-788 had been given go-ahead with its nine crew members after almost two hours and added that five crew members are still in UK.
When contacted, PIA spokesman, Aamir Memon confirmed the said incident, saying that it's a routine snap-checking by the UK BF in the flight PK-788. He informed that the UK BF had found nothing during the snap-checking and all crew members were cleared. Moreover, he said that flight PK-788 had now landed in Karachi with its nine crew members and the rest of the five, who had been cleared after two-hour interview, would come back by next flight. Aamir further said that the PIA's security division may take up this issue with the UK BF to avoid such incidents in future.
Needless to mention, security inspections by the UK BF in PIA flights at its different airports were intensified since January, 2015. During the last five months, PK-788 had been stopped twice while PK 758 and others also faced stiff security clearance in UK. In last January, the UK BF had not only inspected the PIA crew members but also put all its passengers under stiff security clearance when the flight was about to depart from Heathrow Airport. The passengers' examination, who had passed all security checks at UK airport and were given ready-to-board by UK airport authority, should have been condemned by the PIA management but they kept mum that resulted further flight inspections. In March, the UK BF also issued 'Yellow Card' and mounted stiff vigilance to the national flag carrier after noticing what they claimed the misuse of Heathrow Crew Clearance facility by the PIA crew for bringing substantial quantity of goods in UK for commercial purposes.