Pakistan has shown many times just how duplicitous they can be but this plane was from a fellow Muslim country so I doubt it. Also I doubt there are any airfields in that part of Pakistan which could handle one of those planes.
Well, since they were harboring Bin Laden...with apparently the knowledge of many people in their military...I wouldn’t put anything beyond them.
I don’t know a thing about flying, but from what I have read here, the plane really doesn’t need that long a runway. If you’re concerned about the passengers’ comfort, yes; but these passengers were either dead or more worried about survival than comfort, and I doubt that the pilot (who I think was the co-pilot) cared about either one. It’s harder to take off from a short runway, but evidently that can be done too.
I have seen many writers (who have to know more than I do!) say that Pakistan is worth considering, as well as the many other ‘Stans.
Don’t forget that Pakistan is a nuclear state.