months have passed since the fateful Airblue crash, but the monument that was to be erected in the memory of the victims is seemingly far from becoming a reality. Following the crash on July 28 last year, the Airblue administration and the Capital Development Authority had announced erecting the monument at the crash site in Margalla Hills, Islamabad. However, with the anniversary of the crash only two months away, Airblue has yet to fulfil the promise it had made to the families of the victims.
“The families of the victims have reminded the Airblue administration several times to erect the monument at the crash site just like it had promised, but it has been 10 months and Airblue has done nothing in this regard,” said Haris Lodhi, who had lost his mother in the crash. The Airblue Crash Affectees Group (ACAG) convener had e-mailed Airblue Chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on April 12 to arrange a meeting with the ACAG core team, so they could review their relationship, address pressing issues and move forward on a positive note as regards erecting the monument.
Lodhi said that during his visit to the crash site on April 10, he did not observe any development with regard to erecting the monument; and that the authorities have not even put up a sign at the Daman-e-Koh Road to point towards the crash site. “Airblue Marketing General Manager Raheel Ahmed had told me that four designs were under review for the monument, and that one of them would be finalised soon, but there has been no visible progress,” he said.
He demanded the Airblue administration to share the designs with the ACAG before finalising one of them. In a meeting with the families of the crash victims at the Avari Towers, Karachi, Abbasi had promised that the monument would be erected before the first anniversary of the crash, Lodhi said. “On March 22, Abbasi had told me that the design of the monument was in progress and that construction work would start at the site soon, but this promise is yet to materialise,” Lodhi added.
