'How is it possible?' SHC rejects plea for grounding all PIA planes in wake of PK-8303 crash

KARACHI: A federal law officer informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday that findings of an investigation into the air crash that claimed lives of 97 passengers and crewmembers in Karachi will be made public on the directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar was hearing a petition regarding various incidents of air crashes. The petitioner moved an application seeking urgent hearing of his petition filed in 2016.

The deputy attorney general stated before the court that the report of the PK-8303 crash is likely to be submitted to the government on June 22 and will subsequently be made public on the premier’s directive.

Over the course of the hearing, Justice Mazhar declined to issue a notice to the government to seek its response to the petition saying let the government furnish the probe report first, then the court will issue a notice.

He remarked that a probe into the air crash is underway and being monitored by PM Khan and other higher authorities. Besides, he added a French company is looking into the incident.

The SHC judge said he cannot say anything about the incident before submission of a final report in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) submitted a report on the 2016 PIA aircraft ATR42-500 (PK-661) crash.

Justice Mazhar further said that the litigant has sought the high court’s directives for the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to ground all of its planes. How is this possible, he questioned.

The petitioner claimed the ill-fated plane that crashed on May 22 was not airworthy.

The hearing was adjourned till June 25