KARACHI: The federal government on Wednesday formed an investigation team to ascertain the exact reasons and fix responsibility for the death of the seven airport workers whose charred bodies were found in a cold-storage facility more than 26 hours after the attack at Karachi airport’s Terminal I.

Prime Minister’s special assistant on aviation Shujaat Azeem formally set up the committee to look into the rescue operation and other efforts after the airport was declared cleared by the security forces.

Citing the mandate and objectives of the committee, a source said: “There is an impression that more than half a dozen people trapped in one of the facilities were left abandoned. So the committee will definitely look into every aspect to fix responsibility.”

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority refused to disclose the names of the head of the committee or its members, saying the names would be made public once the committee started working.

However, sources said that the officer commanding of the Institute of Air Safety, Air Commodore Noor Elahi Bajwa, would head the committee. The two members are a senior CAA official and the chief of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, they added.

Charred remains of the seven missing airport workers were retrieved on Tuesday morning from the cold-storage facility.

The workers had taken refuge there soon after militants launched an attack at the airport. Their families said that it was only after they staged a protest near the Star Gate that the authorities finally listened to their incessant pleas.

“There are two versions,” said the source. “The victims’ claimed that they received calls of their loved ones, who died later, that they were stuck in the cold storage.

According to another version, all the seven employees of the private cargo company were found dead inside their own office and facility. The team would also carry out investigation with technological support to establish the location of the victim cargo workers when they called their families for help.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the body of another man was found at the cargo terminal.

Officials said it could be the body of an Airport Security Force’s official, Sub-Inspector Jumman Abbasi, who went missing after the attack. However, it was charred beyond recognition. Samples had been taken to conduct a DNA test for identification, they added.

Meanwhile, the Airport police registered a terrorism case (FIR 87/2014) against the central leadership of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan for the airport attack.

TTP chief Fazlullah, its spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid and others were booked under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 109 (abetment), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage, etc) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and 3 /4 of the Explosive Act.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that the federal government had already appointed ‘high officials’ to look into the death of seven airport workers and it would not be appropriate to share thoughts before the job was done.

“There is no disagreement between the federal and provincial governments and both are on the same page,” he told reporters after addressing a consultative conference organised by the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority, Sindh. “As far as the Sindh government is concerned, its responsibility in connection with the airport is very limited. Even I have to seek a pass from a federal agency before visiting the airport. I would not like to indulge in any controversy but prefer to talk about achievements. There are definitely shortcomings, which are needed to be overcome.”

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2014