Afshan Ejaz
THE interim investigation report which was presented in Parliament by the Federal Aviation Minister, Ghulam Sarwar Khan pinpointed that a lack of concentration and ignorance of the protocol are the main causes of crash. The report further maintained that pilots were engrossed in discussing the novel coronavirus throughout the flight.
Additionally, the air traffic controller (ATC) has also been held responsible as it did not inform the pilot about the eruption of fire when the plane touched down. In retrospect, the chief engineers signed the necessary documentation and cleared plane for flight, ensuring that it meets all vital standards for safety.
History is witness that there has been a multitude of plane and helicopter crashes in the civilian and military aviation record of Pakistan. Until the decade of ’70s, PIA was deemed as a leading airline but its reputation has sunk deep into the ground due to administrative issues, troubles faced by the passengers, and above all, the deadly incidents which relegate the value of human life to a mere sum of few lacs. This leads us to sit down and contemplate a couple of factors. It is a convention across the globe that after a plane crash, the subsequent investigations need the input of efforts from dozens of stakeholders. The investigations also need to be unbiased and must follow a specific procedure. The wreckage needs to be transported to the nearest capacity where it is examined. Discretion has to be ensured and the crash site should not be opened for the public eye.
The process of investigating the accidents must be free from any kind of blame game. In the event of the investigating body finding any faults, it must issue recommendations for the collective aviation body, but before the final report is published, no entity or party should be blamed for the crash.
It is evident from the interim investigation report that the pilots have been accredited to as the cause of a loss of nearly 100 precious human lives. All the parties in the investigation process must be aware that the basic goal is future safety, rather the assignment of blame on anyone, dead or alive.
Federal Minister added that during the appointment of pilots, merit is ignored. It goes without saying that the diminished level of credibility and trust on the national airline displayed from the public and the international community is the state’s own doing. How is the airline even trusting irreplaceable human lives in the hands of inexperienced pilots without conducting due security clearance? This poses a humongous question mark on the level and severity of accountability by the state and other regulatory bodies.
The privatization of PIA or extending liberty to private service providers in the aviation industry is now more than essential. To meet the bare minimum of international standards, research and development with efficient training of the pilots is extremely imperative. This would only be possible if competitive behaviour is promoted.
In a third world country where the health sector is already fractured, ministries and state institutions are representative of severely irresponsible behaviour. This results in frequent and unfortunate man-made crises that further compound the social, economic and political problems. It is time for the fulfilment of promises made by the state to bring back the glorified days of the national airline.
—The writer is a research scholar at Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
