ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday that no evidence of terrorism had been found in the helicopter crash in the Naltar area of Gilgit.
In a statement, the minister said the helicopter caught fire after it hit the ground.Khawaja Asif paid tributes to the two martyred pilots of the Pakistan Army and said the nation stands with the families of martyred in their time of grief. He further said that the nature of the helicopter crash was technical.
Meanwhile, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry also said a technical fault caused the chopper crash in Naltar. “My whole world has fallen apart. I am overwhelmed. There is not an eye which is not crying, no heart which is not saddened. These diplomats were our honoured guests,” Aizaz Chaudhry said while briefing the media at the Foreign Office.
“There was no terror activity. The accident occurred just a few yards short of the landing area. It was an engine failure and the black box has been recovered. We will make the inquiry report public as we have to learn from such accidents,” Chaudhry said.
“An accident is an accident, no matter how tragic. The weather at the time was good for flying,” he said.He added that right now the top priority for the government was to ensure that the remains of those who passed away were flown back to Islamabad for their onward journey home.
“We will give full respect and honour to the bodies and together with the adviser to the prime minister, I will also receive the bodies which will be transported to their countries with honour. A Pakistan dignitary will accompany each body,” said Chaudhry.
He paid rich tributes to the diplomats who had died saying that they, in their own way, had greatly contributed to strengthening the bilateral relations.Meanwhile, the ISPR also said the helicopter crashed due to a technical fault.“As per initial information, two helicopters landed safely while the third developed technical fault
while landing,” Director General ISPR Asim Bajwa said on Twitter.