ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) on Thursday passed a resolution presented by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Members of National Assembly (MNAs) to restore the name of Benazir Bhutto International Airport for the Islamabad International Airport.
The newly-constructed airport was made operational in May 2018 by the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) only two months before the general elections. Since then the naming of the new facility has been pending.
The PML-N Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had left the issue open for debate after rejecting three names — “Liaquat Ali Khan International Airport,” “Fatima Jinnah International Airport,” and “Gandhara International Airport.”
Liaquat Ali Khan was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, a key leader of the Pakistan Movement and close and trusted associate of the Founder of the country, Mohammad Ali Jinnha.
Fatima Jinnah, sister of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was also an icon of struggle against Dictatorship of former President Ayub Khan. She even contested elections against him but failed due to alleged rigging by the military leader.
Gandhara was the third name proposed for the airport as the region where Pakistan is located was once known to be the centre of ancient Buddhist civilization, Gandhara.
Imran Khan too delayed naming
The PPP MNAs then too, had stuck to their guns that since the old airport carried Benazir Bhutto’s name the new airport should also have it. But at that time their proposal was not agreed upon.
After the elections the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to power and Prime Minister Imran Khan also put off the matter of naming the new airport for an indefinite period.
Currently, it is called Islamabad International Airport but the parliamentarians particularly those hailing from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had been repeatedly demanding to restore the name given to the old airport in Rawalpindi i.e. Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA).
Now since the PML-N and the PPP are back in power and have formed a coalition government at the centre led by PM Shehbaz Sharif, the PPP MNAs Dr Mehreen Bhutto, Nawabzada Iftikhar and Naz Baloch presented a resolution in the National Assembly demanding the airport be named as Shaheed Benazir International Airport (SBBIA).
The resolution that was unanimously passed reads that the previous government changed the name on the basis of bias and political enmity.
The nation cannot forget the Bhutto family’s sacrifices for democracy, and in the framing of the country’s constitution, it added. Therefore, Islamabad International airport’s previous name should be restored.
After passage of the resolution from the National Assembly whose Speaker is from the PPP, the matter is likely to be taken up by the Prime Minister’s Office and once he gives his nod the name will be finalised.
