Criticism by National Assembly opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on the composition of the judicial commission, constituted by the Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to probe into Bhoja Air plane crash, ended up in a personal clash between Nisar and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira on Wednesday.
Ch Nisar opposed the idea of turning the Calling Attention Notice submitted by the National Assembly members on the issue of the Bhoja Air crash, into a debate on points of order, saying the government was trying to defuse the issue through a non-serious debate in the House. Ch Nisar also criticised the government for its ‘criminal negligence’ in handling the plane crash, saying the commission constituted by the PM did not qualify to be called a judicial commission.
He also linked the debate in the House on the issue with the government constituting an impartial and independent commission. “The government did not find impartial people, other than the PCO judges, who could be appointed as members of the commission,” he said.
He also criticised the interior minister for his demand that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz take action against PML-N member, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who is also the chief executive of Air Blue, for the airline’s plane crash of 2010. He said the government should take action against the airline’s management if its negligence caused the crash.
Prime Minister Gilani, who appeared in the House for a brief period of time, responded to the reservations of the opposition leader but could not satisfy the latter.
The PM said the government wanted to bring the facts of the recent plane crash on record and that it did not need to apologise.
Law minister Farooq Naek also defended the premier on constituting the judicial commission, saying that the commission was constituted according to the law and none of the relatives of the crash victims had expressed their distrust in the commission members.
Ch Nisar took the floor again and criticised the law minister for ‘unjustifiably’ defending the government, adding that two of the judicial commission members faced contempt of court charges.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira tried to defend the government and the law minister’s stance by saying that the enquiry was purely a technical issue and no one could be declared guilty before the plane’s black box and voice data recorder could be examined.