Air Blue crash: SHC issues notices to airline’s CEO

Human Rights and Civil Liberties Society files petition claiming investigations in fatal accident still inconclusive.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the chairman of private airline Air Blue Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the Ministry of Defence, Air Traffic Controllers of Karachi and Islamabad, Civil Aviation Authority, federal law minister and Medical Superintendent of PIMS hospital, Islamabad for a date to be fixed later by the office of the court.

The petition was filed by the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Society, maintaining that investigations in the fatal accident are still inconclusive and are being kept secret for obvious reasons. He said that although there are reports that compensation has been paid to the heirs of the victims of the tragedy, the payment was made under Pakistani law.

Nisar A Mujahid Advocate appearing for the petitioner NGO submitted before Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi that the respondents were bound to pay compensation according to international law and also to keep the people of Pakistan posted about the investigations. If there is slow progress it should also be brought to the knowledge of the people.

He prayed the court to order the respondents to make public the stage of investigations and details of payment of compensation to the heirs of the deceased.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2011.