Govt moves against airline after crash
22 April, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Promising a full investigation into the Bhoja airliner crash that killed 127 people, the government on Saturday formed a judicial commission and put the head of the airline on the Exit Control List (ECL), barring him from leaving the country.
The commission, formed on the directives of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, would be headed by Justice (r) Zahid Hussain, according to TV reports. Justice (r) Nasir Sikander will be its member and Dr Wasim Kausar will serve as its secretary. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the name of Farooq Bhoja, the head of Bhoja Air, had been put on ECL.
Bhoja had been ordered into protective custody and a criminal investigation launched into the crash, Malik told reporters at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), as sobbing relatives of those who died collected the remains of their loved ones.
Malik said the airline "seems to be at fault as it had acquired a very old aircraft".
"If the airline management doesn't have enough money it doesn't mean you go and buy a 30-year-old or more aircraft as if it were a rickshaw and start an airline," he said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani also visited PIMS and said a judicial commission would be formed to probe the tragedy.
"We cannot conclude any thing till investigations are complete," he told reporters.
He said the crash was a big tragedy after the Siachen incident. DNA tests would be conducted to identify the bodies, he added.
To a question, he said it was the responsibility of the airline to provide compensation to the aggrieved families, adding that the government would take steps in this regard.
The premier was also briefed about arrangements at PIMS. He directed PIMS authorities to facilitate relatives of the deceased until handing over of all bodies. He said all the departments concerned worked hard during rescue operation on the site of air crash. Later, the prime minister took an aerial view of the plane crash site.
Separately, President Asif Zardari called Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar to inquire about the progress in extending facilities to the aggrieved families.
Expressing grief, the president directed the minister to hold a comprehensive inquiry at the earliest. Zardari also prayed for the departed souls.
The minister said the red zone was not the cause of the plane crash.
Talking to reporters, he said average age of PIA planes was 22 years and if the condition of ageing plane was good then it could be permitted to fly. Repairing and checking the standards of planes was not the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority, he said.
The obligation rested with the respective airlines, he added. Assistance of foreign experts would also be sought to probe into the crash, he also said. Meanwhile, Koral police registered an FIR against the Bhoja Air.
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