THIS is apropos of the news item ‘World aviation body asked to probe Airblue crash, PHC told’ (March 28).
It is regrettable that the causes of the crash, compensation to the families of the deceased and preventive measures are yet to be fully resolved even after about 21 months.
The government has now approached the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to appoint international experts to probe afresh to satisfy the Peshawar High Court. This is most surprising.
Yet another surprise is that the ministry of defence (Federal government) has appointed only last month a board to inquire into the accident, as the news item indicates.
Having had association with ICAO’s legal work for about 10 years, I would like to explain that the ICAO’s aircraft accident investigation procedures contained Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention and its Manual of Aircraft Investigation (Doc 6920) etc. come into play when an aircraft accident involves two separate contracting states, that is, it has international repercussions.
The ICAO itself does not get involved into domestic accidents for which adequate provisions exist in our own laws, namely Civil Aviation Rules, 1994. Had these been properly put into service, ‘dissatisfaction’ of the PHC with the matter would not have arisen.
Under these rules the federal government is empowered to order a board of accident inquiry. This board could have been headed by a person of ‘legal knowledge and experience, say a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, as provided in the rules.
Even if the ICAO now obliges the government, what these experts are expected to find out out after visiting the scene of accident, examining the wreckage, if it is still there, questioning witnesses, if any traceable, and read the flight recorder, if intact, which is the standard method of going about this business.
At any rate, these experts will only tell us how to avoid such accidents in future and not apportion blame on anyone.
Then finalisation of their report will take how much time no one can tell. All this will be at huge expense of taxpayer’s money with little expected outcome.
Worse still, this will also show that Pakistan does not have even a handful of persons of competence to handle its domestic air crash.
Incidentally, Pakistan has been ousted from membership of the ICAO Council (the executive body which regulates international civil aviation), a position which we had held with pride since 1947.
S. M. AWAR Karachi
