Notice to government on plane crash issue

LAHORE:Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Tuesday issued notices to the federal government and its authorities on a petition seeking a stay against inquiry by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) into a recent plane crash in Karachi and for establishment of a judicial commission instead.

A panel of lawyers had filed the petition saying during the past 50 years several commercial planes had crashed and authorities had not been able to take any serious action to mitigate causes for increase in crashes. The petition argued that SOPs of CAA and airlines had not been fully observed rather violated by the authorities themselves. It alleged that the investigation being carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board of the CAA was likely to cover the shortfalls of the officials concerned.

Therefore, the petition asked the court to order an inquiry into the crash by an impartial judicial commission. The chief justice sought replies from the respondents by July 28. Lawyers including Arslan Raza Naqvi, Barrister Anam Shakeel, Arhum Tariq Butt and Mufti Ehteshamuddin Haider jointly filed the petition.