Karachi plane crash probe report challenged

LAHORE:The report of an investigation into the Karachi plane crash that claimed lives of 98 persons has been challenged before the Lahore High Court for being illegal.

The father and brother of deceased flight officer, Usman Azam, of PK-8303, which crashed in Karachi on 22 May, 2020, assailed the report and the special investigation board through a writ petition.

The petitioners through counsel Nabeel Javed Kahloon submitted that the secretary aviation constituted the four-member board to probe into the plane crash. They said the board submitted its report to the secretary aviation, which was later published on 22 June. They argued that the notification of the constitution of the investigation board issued by the secretary aviation was in violation of section 6 of Civil Aviation Rules of 1994. They stated that the members of the board had no knowledge of the aviation technicalities. The petitioners contended that the investigation board was not competent enough to hold the inquiry; therefore, all the investigation completed by the broad stands illegal in the eyes of the law. They argued that the respondent secretary failed to appreciate the fact that the ill policies and bad management turned the organisation into a white elephant. They asked the court to declare the formation of the investigation board and its report into the crash unlawful and order the government to constitute a fresh board to reinvestigate the plane crash by taking into confidence all the stakeholders as per the law.