KARACHI: Twenty-two passengers and four members of the crew lost their lives in the worst ever air disaster in Pakistan late on Monday night [Dec 12]. They were travelling in a Pak Air Dakota which crashed against a hill 45 miles North-East of Karachi. The joint secretary, Pakistan Ministry of Defence, Mr A.T. Naqvi, said last night [Dec 13] that there were no survivors.

Among the passengers of the ill-fated Dak­o­­­­ta were Major-General and Mrs Iftekhar Khan and child, Major-Gen Sher Khan, Sayed Shafik El-Khatib a member of the Egyptian delegation to the IIEC and younger brother of the Egyptian Counsellor in Pakistan, Mr Faiz Fayezdalati, leader of the Syrian delegation, Mr Mohammad Bin Abud, leader of the Moro­cco delegation, Mr. Al-Eiammami, leader of the Algerian delegation, Mr Habib Thammer, leader of the Tunisian delegation, Mr Moham­mad Niaz, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Ka­­shmir Affairs and Khwaja Mushtaq Ahmad, Deputy Director Public Relations, Kashmir Affairs.

… The Dakota which was flying from Pesha­war on regular service was last contacted at 8.45 p.m. on Monday night when it reported: “We are coming down to Karachi.” Then there was ominous silence.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024