Justice Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui of Sindh High Court Friday ordered Federal Defence Secretary to submit result of inquiry regarding Multan Fokker crash in sealed cover.
The order came in a suit instituted by the widow and three children of Dr Altaf Hussain, Assistant Professor and Head of the Psychiatry Department, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, who was killed in crash on July 10, 2006. The matter was adjourned for November 1, 2007.
The plaintiffs, Dr Naheed Fatima and her three children, submitted that the accident occurred due to negligence of PIA and CAA. Based on the earnings of the psychiatrist from his service and private practice and his normal life expectancy, a sum of Rs 154 million was demanded as damages against the defendants jointly.
Plaintiffs counsel Nasir Maqsood moved an application in the suit wherein it was pleaded that the Civil Aviation Authority constituted an Accident Investigation Board to carry out a probe into the crash of the said aircraft. It was contended that plaintiff many times sought report from PIA as well CAA but no such report could be furnished.
Earlier on 29th June 2007 Justice Sajjad Ali Shah of the Sindh High Court had asked the Pakistan International Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority to furnish a copy of the Multan Fokker crash investigation report if completed. Counsel for the CAA Faisal Kamal sought two weeks time for furnishing report but latter he contended that it was discretion of Ministry by virtue of rules whether to make report published or not and therefore showed inability to furnish the same.
SHC single bench allowing plaintiff's counsel application directed Federal Defence Secretary to produce result of the inquiry report before the next date of hearing.