PK8303 victim: Urban Unit CEO laid to rest

Body identified through DNA test after wife posted video describing ordeal

LAHORE: Urban Unit Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khalid Sherdil, who passed away in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK8303 crash on Friday during an official visit to Karachi was laid to rest in Lahore on Wednesday.

Sherdil was a BPS-21 Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) officer from the 24 Common batch. He was serving as the Urban Unit CEO, in the Planning and Development Board of Punjab government, MPDD Secretary and and Strategic Support Unit (SSU) Director General.

He was among the 97 people who died when the Karachi-bound flight from Lahore crashed a few minutes before landing. The incident took place two days before Eidul Fitr.

An official statement from the Urban Unit said, "We have not only lost our leader and mentor but an extremely humble, down-to-earth, humane and kind soul who was the head of our Urban Unit family.”

Sherdil was serving as the CEO of the Urban Unit since January 25 last year. During the time, he was able to not only steer the company out of its recurring financial distress but also to execute various multi-dimensional projects.

Sherdil held a Doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2020.