Expressing dissatisfaction over the report of Airblue plane crash not being made public, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday issued notice to the Airblue Director General (DG) Shahid Khakan Abbassi for submitting his comments.
The SHC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Imam Bux Baloch, heard the constitutional petition filed by human rights activist Nisar A Mujahid, seeking compensation for the families of the Airblue flight 202 crash victims.
The petitioner had also prayed that the investigation into the incident should be conducted by a body having international exposure. Citing Airblue managing director, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) general manager and Defence secretary among others as respondents, the plaintiff had stated that the CAA had itself conducted the inquiry into the plane crash against the laws about investigation of any air crash.
He further stated that the report has still not been made public and the families of the deceased not yet compensated despite the passage of more than one year.
On July 28, 2010, an Airblue flight from Karachi to Islamabad crashed into the Margalla Hills killing all 152 passengers on board.
Reportedly the plane had lost contact with the control tower shortly before it crashed amid thick fog and heavy rainfall in Islamabad. The plane caught fire after the crash severely hindering relief efforts. It was reported that the pilot was instructed to go around due to traffic on the runway but due to severe weather and very low visibility, the pilot lost his way and crashed into the mountains.
Exactly a year later, the CAA handed over the initial report of the incident to the government. The investigation concluded that a communication gap between the cockpit, radar and control tower operators had led to the tragic accident.
