Government promises 'transparent' plane probe

Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan Saturday said that efforts are being made to complete the investigation report of flight PK8303 crash within three months.
Speaking at a presser along with PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik at PIA Training Centre auditorium, Sarwar said that there would be a transparent inquiry of the Karachi plane crash and action would be taken against those responsible. He said that all the facts would be brought before the nation and an effort is being made to complete the investigation report in three months.
Sarwar expressed grief over the unfortunate incident and wished that may Allah give patience to those affected and also paid tribute to the Army, Rangers, Civil Administration and residents of the neighborhood for their cooperation.
He said that experts from the company that built the plane would conduct an independent inquiry and airbus experts would also arrive for an independent investigation, soon.
Federal Minister said that this was the second recent tragedy to take place after the Chitral accident. The report of the Chitral accident has still not been completed but he assured that the government would complete the inquiry at the earliest. He also said that those whose property was destroyed in the plane crash will be adequately compensated.
He said that all the facts would be brought before the nation and that on the directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the relief amount has been increased from Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million.
The Federal Minister for Aviation said that if any illegal construction has taken place, those responsible would be brought to justice and added that there were encroachments on 1500 acres of CAA land in Karachi, such mistakes and shortcomings of the previous governments will be rectified.
Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that it was a miracle that two passengers survived the accident. He said that the pilot had not announced that he would be attempting an emergency landing and the complete correspondence between the plane and ATC would be revealed through the black box. He said that it was his responsibility to prepare the report, present it in the National Assembly and take necessary action.
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar said that the pilot tried his best to land the plane on the runway and to keep the loss of human life at a minimum. He said that the Government would bear the cost of repairing the affected houses and the damage to the vehicles would also be compensated.
Meanwhile, CEO PIA Arshad Malik said that 21 bodies have been handed over to the next of kin and PIA team had contacted the family members of all victims. After DNA tests, the bodies would be handed over to the family, he added.
CEO PIA said that the black box of the aircraft has been recovered and everyone, including him, would be held accountable if found responsible. He reiterated complete cooperation in every possible way to expedite the investigation. PIA sources said that black box would be sent to the aircraft manufacturer - Airbus for its decoding and the process of decoding would be completed in next 15 to 20 days.