The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday announced its verdict in the Airblue crash case, saying that the pilot, Parvez Iqbal, was guilty.
The court declared that the tragic air crash occurred because the pilot was tired and was unable to perform his duties properly. Moreover, “The air control tower did not give appropriate directions to the pilot,” the court said.
An Airblue flight crashed in the Margalla Hills in Islamabad on July 28, 2010, killing all 152 people onboard.
Consequently, the PHC ordered Airblue to provide financial compensation to the families of the victims and also issued directives to investigate the incident under the supervision of foreign experts.
The CAA released its report on April 24, 2012 claiming the flight’s captain, Parvez Iqbal, ignored suggestions of the air traffic controller many times. The tone of the captain was also condescending and inappropriate, added the report.
The investigation report was presented before the PHC in March, with the Civil Aviation Authority admitting the pilot and air traffic controller were responsible for the incident. It revealed the air traffic controller was inexperienced in managing such situations.
The PHC in August issued instructions to the legal heirs of the Air Blue crash victims to attach indemnity bonds while producing successor certificates for claiming compensation.
PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan issued these instructions while hearing a writ petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Marvi Memon against the Airblue administration.
