SHC to hear PIA crash investigation plea

Petitioner says flying aircraft in poor condition is tantamount to playing with lives

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday approved a petition seeking a probe into the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crash for an immediate hearing.
Petitioner Iqbal Kazmi pleaded that the procurement and flying of aircraft that are in poor condition by the national airline was tantamount to playing with the lives of passengers and crew.
The investigation results of the ATR crash that took place on December 7, 2016, have not yet been made public either, the petition pointed out.
"Almost 800 passengers put their lives in danger daily when they travel via PIA," the petitioner stated. "Even before this incident, the authorities concerned could not give a satisfactory answer despite the court's order."
Appealing to the court to summon the PIA CEO as well, Kazmi said that passenger aircrafts should not be allowed to fly without inspection and clearance.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar will hear the petition on Friday.
The PIA passenger plane, with 99 people on board, crashed in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi last Friday, killing 89 passengers and eight crew members. Two passengers miraculously survived the crash.
An 11-member team of foreign experts, which comprises members from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and other countries, arrived in Pakistan from France on Tuesday.
The experts, extending the scope of an investigation, conducted a forensic examination of the aircraft wreckage and also collected different parts of the plane that would help in identifying the reasons for the crash.
Separately, an application was filed in the East sessions court to register a case against those responsible for the plane crash.
Petitioners Qadir Khan Mandokhel and Rizwan Khanzada stated that the airport police were not filing an FIR against those responsible for the tragedy, adding that the police should be ordered to do so. They further claimed that orders should be given to provide all relevant records to the investigating officer.
PIA chief Air Marshal Arshad Malik, Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, the PIA chief engineer and others have been nominated in the petition.Locust swarms
Meanwhile, the SHC also accepted a request to hear on priority basis a contempt of court plea against the provincial and federal governments over their inaction on locust invasions in Sindh, despite court orders obliging them to take effective measures for controlling locust swarms.
The plea, filed by Syed Mureed Ali Shah, stated that locusts had destroyed crops across Sindh, including the harvest on the land owned by Sindh additional advocate-general Jawad Dero in Tando Adam.
In a ruling on December 20, 2019, the court had ordered effective action against locusts but no progress had been made by the provincial and federal government in this regard, the plea contended, moving the court to take action against them.
The food security secretary, chief secretary and others have been nominated as parties in the plea.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, will hear the plea.