ISLAMABAD, Oct 3: The investigation into the Bhoja Airlines crash in April has been slowed down considerably.

Dawn has learnt reliably that the Safety Investigation Board (SIB) has not met for the last two months because the investigation chief is undergoing medical treatment abroad while another board official now stands retired from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

On April 20, Bhoja Airlines’ Boeing 737 had crashed near Benazir Bhutto International Airport killing all the 127 passengers on board.

On April 22, the federal government through the Ministry of Defence had appointed Group Captain (retired) Mujahidul Islam as the head of the SIB, which also includes officials from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), PAF and a meteorological expert.

“Mr Islam is on a medical leave as he is undergoing treatment for liver disease abroad,” said an official close to the development. “Besides Air Commodore Sardar Ilyas Khan, the PAF official who was assigned to give his technical input on the matter, is now retired.”There has been no meeting for last two months, said the official.

The official opined that even though the SIB works under the Ministry of Defence, ministry officials do not take an interest in its affairs such as replacing the retired PAF official.

When Dawn contacted SIB officials, they preferred to keep mum.

On the other hand, an official of the defence ministry claimed: “Yes, the SIB chief is on sick leave but it does not mean the investigation has halted. The SIB will submit its report to the Ministry of Defence very soon.”

He was unable to give a time-frame as to when the report would be submitted.

He added: “The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is also part of the probe team and the SIB is waiting for its reply. All such reports are first accredited by the ICAO since SIB can’t file its investigation with the federal government without getting an input from aviation’s international regulatory body.”

It is pertinent to mention that PAF has recommended replacement for Commodore Ilyas Khan but the SIB head has been reluctant to entertain anyone else as “he [Commodore Ilyas] is the key technical official assisting the SIB on the air crash from day one.”

The defence ministry official clarified that even though Commodore Ilyas Khan had retired, he was still part of SIB and the ministry was trying its best to manage his position with the assistance of Civil Aviation Authority.

When asked as to why the SIB committee members had met only once, the defence ministry official replied: “The SIB is meeting intermittently and it will be unfair to claim that it is not meeting to probe the airline crash on a routine basis.”

Meanwhile, when Dawn approached the director general of the CAA, Nadeem Yousufzai, he claimed: “The committee is meeting but we are waiting for the feedback from American aviation experts. The probe report will soon be presented to the ministry.”

Mr Yousufzai insisted: “I cannot give you any answers about SIB since it is an independent body working under the defence ministry and not the CAA.”