KARACHI:
At around 7pm on Saturday Omar Farooq Bhoja didn’t know that news of him being taken into custody was making the rounds on television channels.
“What? Have I been taken into custody? Who said that?” he said speaking to The Express Tribune. When told about the news tickers, he paused for a while and then said: “Bas! Allah malik hay.” The phone went dead after that.
The news channels quoted the Federal Investigation Agency. Legal and insurance experts say what could follow is a long battle for the fragile Bhoja Air, which renewed operations just last month.
In the last two aircraft crashes involving Pakistani airlines, the relatives were compensated in varying amounts. Airblue agreed to pay Rs5.5 million to each family of the 152 people onboard the flight which crashed on July 28, 2010. Most of them have taken the money but some are fighting cases.
After the 2006 Fokker crash of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), it paid Rs2 million per family. “I am pretty sure that Bhoja would have to compensate with Rs5.5 million. A precedent has been set by Airblue,” said Yahya Adeel, an aviation lawyer. “The Carriage by Air Act 2011 says a family must be compensated by Rs500,000. But that is in conflict with a lot of international conventions.”
Pakistan is a signatory to the Montreal Convention, which says families of the dead be given 100,000 SDRs (special drawing rights) in damages. Each SDR is equal to $1,544, which comes to around Rs14 million.
The sponsor of Airblue, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, says he was lucky to have good insurance cover. “The international reinsurers were able to quickly mobilise funds.”
About the perception of an airline after a crash, he said the business must continue to run. “That is very important. We didn’t stop the flights. And trust me after 10 per cent seat cancellations following the crash, things were back to normal in three days.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (20)
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This guy is both guilty and innocent, guilty of killing all those people and innocent because he did not knew that his greed will lead to the death of all those ( i am sure he is worried about his plane more than the people on board ). Pakistan civil aviation authority is the no 1 criminal because they allow those money hungry people to make money by using 60 year old airplanes. and not issuing safety regulations. If this continues another PIA plane will crash soon.
Can anybody ask Bhoja Air management whether there was any insurance bought by Bhoja Air for all passenger ,if bought very good if not who is going to pay the compensation for passengers >Second thing till now I have not seen any press conference or any statement from Bhoja Air officially.
@Flying Captain: Oh My GOD you have extremely valid point since this airport get this name changed its the 2nd fatal accident within very short period where as before this name changed do we have fatal accident since last 60 years think everyone.
Typical; clinging to religion and false piety, when he's called to account. How many of these mullahs will we allow to hide behind their beards?
All is responsible Government department of flights that is aviation, who can give green or red light for any plane after regular and honest checking and control, Privat companies want make only profit and money and want save everywhere but do not want save human life. looser,
Why is Mr. Bhoja arrested?? what is his role in plane crash?? there are many other institutions which has responsibility as well... why they not being made answerable?? why head of Civil Aviation has not Resigned? Why the minister handling aviation is still in his office?? Why only Mr. Bhoja?
well its a tragic ACCIDENT but we shouldn't blame the company. the government shouldn't seize their operation this the most bummest move by government. who even invest in Pakistan now a days!?. They should rather support this private business, our airline PIA it self is facing a loss in millions. so Bhoja airline would had provided a healthy competition in the industry.
There's gonna be a lot of millionaires in the FIA now...rich people are known to pay a lot for simple luxuries when in confinement.
All this to soon launch INDUS AIRWAYS at the cost of innocent human lives.
Do you know that Farooq Bhoja is the grandson of Mohammad Ali Jinnah! We are treating him so shabbily beside his son was murdered few years back when he was kidnapped for ransom.
I agreed to Lobster this is gonna be Logo of Bhoja Air Allah Malik Hai from now on. hahaha
How come $1,544 becomes 14 million??
“Allah Malik Hai” means act intelligently. And do not put people of Allah in the Risk. If you went for chilla for 40 days, it is your business with Allah. Allah did not ask you and you fellow brother pilot to act as a chosen person of Allah and put the airplane in the risk. I think that it is the thought of these people which brought the Airplane down, "Making Allah their Malik but not doing what Allah advises them to do."
@Jehangir Khan Jadoon: Please make sure that "free legal aid to all the legal heirs" does not include any contingency fee from the airlines to your group. If all the compensatory monies go to the beneficiaries of the victims, your group's effort will be laudatory.
The whole nation is grieved on this shocking incident and share the sorrow and miseries of the all the affected families. May Allah rest the deceased in eternal peace in Janaah and give courage to the families to bear this irreparable loss. We, a group of competent lawyers have decided to give-free legal aid to all the legal heirs' of the deceased on the platform of PML-N 'Lawyer's Forum.'
Unless we don't put the corrupt behind the bars and prosecute them in the court of law, people like Farooq Bhoja in the country will keep on playing with the lives of innocent people of Pakistan.
After the Bhoja Air Crash on April 20, 2012 every one in the country is talking on this subject and feel sorrow, sympathize with the people who got killed in the air crash, but after few days the same Farooq Bhoja after his formal arrest will grease the palm of the concerned officials and come out on bail and then the case will keep on lingering one pretext or the other in the courts.
An ordinary citizen will never get justice in Pakistan where justice is sold in lieu of money at every level in the country.
It is Civil Aviation's responsibility to issue licences to airline with thorough insurance covers. The matter of fact is that in a country like Pakistan where everything is in the process of decadence CAA is also going down. They don't have good instruments and tools to run airport systems, they lack good human resources, as their people have migrated to greener and safer pastures than living in Pakistan. Such accidents are unfortunately bound to happen here, especially in a country where mediocrity and uneducated become administrators of such important and prestigious institutions. Bhojas maybe a good businessman but working under very difficult aviation environment full of risks. I think the best in Pakistan is to travel in cars, with enough weapons to defend yourself if need be.
Big tragedy, big accident and may all souls rest in peace, but... What was his fault, did he cause the accident or conspired to kill? I doubt and it should be beyond a reasonable doubt. Mistakes, bribes and favouritism is the root of all evils in Pakistan but first get some solid proof to arrest something like this.
Actually this should be the logo of Bhoja Air, written on every plane of Bhoja air.