KARACHI – The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued notices to federal Law secretary, Defence secretary, chief air controllers of Karachi and Islamabad, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) chief and other respondents to submit comments in the Airblue plane crash case on the next date of hearing to be fixed later.
An SHC divisional bench, comprising Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Hassan Rizvi, was hearing a constitutional petition filed by the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Society of Pakistan (HRCLSP) seeking to disclose the inquiry report of the plane crash that occurred in Islamabad on July 28 last year.
HRCLSP Chairman Nisar A Mujahid Advocate stated that Airblue’s Airbus A321, which took off at 7:50 am from Karachi for Islamabad under scheduled flight No ABQ-202 with 146 passengers and six crew members on board, crashed behind the Margalla Hills in Islamabad on July 28, killing everyone on board.
The counsel argued that confusion regarding the route of the flight still persists since some news reports claim the plane was on its way to Islamabad via Karachi from Turkey, whereas some suggest that it was a scheduled Karachi-Islamabad flight.
According to the Jinnah International Airport Karachi’s website, the Islamabad-bound flight that took off at 7:30 am from Karachi was a regular flight.
Following the plane crash, Airblue chief executive officer (CEO) had announced compensation to the sum of Rs 1 million for the family of each victim.
On the one hand, this step appears to be a goodwill gesture of the airline, but on the other hand, it raises many imperative questions.
Ignorance of legal heirs of the crash victims might lead to haste in presenting applications signed by anyone.
Every passenger enters into a contract with the carrier for their safe conveyance to the airport of their destination; therefore, under the terms and conditions of the carriage, the carrier is under contractual obligation, under which the compensation is determined according to the victims’ background, profession, education, age and other factors.
On Thursday, Airblue CEO and Karachi sales office, federal government, Defence Ministry, Law and Justice secretary, Communication Ministry, Interior secretary, CAA director-general, CAA director, Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad, senior air traffic control officer, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences medical superintendent, and City District Government Islamabad administrator were cited as respondents.
The petitioner pleaded that a writ be issued against the respondents to hold impartial, uninfluenced and credible investigation expeditiously, and make the report public since the heirs of the crash victims and the civil society are entitled to know the facts.
