Inquiry into plane crash to be made public on 22nd, says Sarwar

LAHORE: The preliminary inquiry into the Karachi plane crash would be made public on June 22, said Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Thursday while talking to media here. He said the data and voice box have been recovered and no one has yet been held responsible for the accident. He said separate inquiries are being carried out but so far no one has been implicated. He said Pilot Sajjad Gul had a clean 25-year flying history, and it would not be appropriate to pass judgment before the inquiry report arrives. The inquiry would be fair and free from any pressure. Answering a question, the federal minister said he has not been asked to resign and the inquiry report will determine who was at fault, after which appropriate action will be taken against those responsible. He said everyone is saddened by the plane crash which claimed the lives of many people including the crew. He said all inquiries into crashed planes in the recent past would be made public. The federal minister said Rs 1 million have been distributed among the families of each passenger. He said that in the street where the plane crashed, three girls who used to work in houses suffered burns. One of whom later died and their families will also be compensated. He said all crew members belonged to Lahore. Jobs would be given to the heirs of the deceased. He said operations would be continued to bring passengers from abroad till 10th June. Additionally, he said around 100,000 people want to come back to Pakistan. The PIA would bring them back, he said.

He said the NAB was autonomous. “I say welcome to the NAB to conduct an inquiry against me,” he said and added that he appeals to everyone to not hurt public sentiment before the inquiry report is made public. The Board of Investigation is conducting the inquiry under responsible officers.