THE Bhoja Air incident once again reminded us of the state of affairs in Pakistan. Bhoja Air purchased the industry’s junk and decided to fly them.

These planes are not equipped with latest weather pattern detectors which could have been used to detect sudden changes in air pressure — downward push of the air caused by changing cloud patterns.

How could the Civil Aviation Authority allow this firm to operate an airline and play with people’s lives? The airline must be sued for every single paisa their owners have and must be punished to make an example out of them.

SUBHANA SAEED Karachi

Thoughtless reporting

WHAT hurt me the most regarding the Bhoja Air crash was the indifferent attitude of news reporters. I was literally crying when I saw a video on a news programme website which was basically about the reactions of the family of the deceased.

In the video, the news reporter kept asking the weeping, depressed family members who were busy collecting the bodies questions like: ‘How do you feel?’ Is the answer not obvious? By asking them if they wanted the matter to be investigated is like adding insult to injury.

A poor person who had lost his wife in the crash was crying so much that he could hardly speak.

And the news reporter just asked him about his future plans without his beloved. I was stunned on hearing this. The media should be more sensitive towards the misery of the families of the victims.

TEHREEM KHAN Karachi

Wrong air licence

THE news of the crash spread at once and the blame was quickly put on the weather by officials.

The news came as a shock that the airline had previously been banned for having its maintenance issues dealt by local unauthorised tecnicians.

Despite knowing the reasons of its disallowance, the government of Pakistan recently re-issued its licence putting lives of hundreds of passengers at stake.

Reports tell that rescue teams at the site of the accident were neither well-equipped nor well-organised. To add to the difficulty of the situation, there were cases of demanding fare worth Rs12,000 for delivering the bodies of the victims to families in Karachi.

Earlier in 2012, after the crash of Airble, we witnessed similar cases of disorganisation and lack of coordination between government officials and rescue teams leading to a false claim of five survivors.

There is a need for a serious check on the relevant authorities licensing airlines without ensuring whether their aircraft are technically reliable.

There is also an immediate need for forming a well-equipped and trained disaster management cell that should administer all rescue teams to avoid chaotic situations at the site of the accident.

SAMEEN HASSAN Karachi

Opinion

Editorial

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