Plane tragedy

As people were looking forward to celebrating Eidul Fitr, the plane crash in Karachi left everyone in immense grief, as PIA flight PK-8303 on its way from Lahore to Karachi crashed close to the airport.

The PIA flight, Airbus A-320, with 99 people on board came crashing down on a residential area. The heart-rending scenes of the rescue left us in tears. This national catastrophe is going to be etched in our memories for a lifetime.

While thorough inquiries have been promised by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan and PIA CEO Arshad Malik, keeping in mind the outcome of prior investigations, we all are aware of the fact that sadly, no results will follow these inquiries. It was just four years ago when we lost 47 precious lives as the PIA flight

PK-661 from Chitral to Islamabad crashed with no survivors.Initially, it looks like a technical fault, as the pilot reported engines’ failure and issued a mayday call. If this is the case, PIA really needs to get its act together to avoid such terrible tragedies. Being the leading airline of the country, it needs to review safety criteria on all aircraft, and let people know what led to such an unfortunate event.

Our hearts go out to all the people who have lost their loved ones in this very tragic event. May Allah grant them the utmost strength in these difficult times, as the world is already grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.

The miraculous survival of two people in the plane crash gave a little relief. Although the holy spirit of Eid was there, it was not the same this year. Let’s hope this year does not unfold anymore unpleasant surprises for us.

Fatima Ali

Manchester