ISLAMABAD: A year after the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-661 crashed in Havalian, relatives of the passengers on board the Chitral to Islamabad airplane still do not know the cause of the crash.

Relatives of 33 of the 47 victims, including five crew members, have been paid insurance and a few cases are in the last stage of the process. The remaining cases have not been finalised as litigation has started between heirs of the victims.

The plane crash on Dec 7 last year killed 47 people including 31 men, nine women, two infants and five PIA staff.

Their bodies were moved to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and then to a cold storage near Rawat. Some of the bodies were identified through the biometric system, dental records and implants. The rest were identified through DNA profiling for which blood samples were taken from relatives.

Some of the victim’s relatives had to stay in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and the PIA made special arrangements for their stay and provided other facilities. The bodies of three foreigners who were aboard the doomed plane were handed over to their respective embassies.

Following the directions of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the PIA decided to ground all 10 ATR planes in its fleet in order to hold shakedown tests of these aircrafts after the crash.

Relatives of 33 of the 47 victims have been paid insurance money, the rest could not be paid due to litigation among heirs

The planes remained grounded till they had been cleared.

Minister for Capital Administration and Development Division Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had announced that after the completion of the legal process, the family of each victim will be given Rs5.5 million which includes insurance and other expenses.

Danyal Mansoor, the brother of a 26-year-old victim, first officer Ahmed Janjua, told Dawn that it was unfortunate that the government had not yet disclosed the reason for the crash. He said the disclosure of the investigation report will bring solace to his family.

“We are waiting to know who was responsible for the crash. Those responsible should be punished,” he said, adding that the PIA has given the family of its deceased employee Rs5.5 million as the final package.

Mr Mansoor has now joined the PIA on the Shaheed Quota and said they had been seven brothers.

Ehtishamul Haq, brother of 28-year-old victim Ehtiralul Haq, told Dawn he was not hopeful that he will ever get to know the cause of the crash.

“Every time PIA representatives came to our house for the documentation of insurance, I asked them if they were aware of the cause of the crash but no one gave me a satisfactory answer. My brother got married just two months before the accident,” he said.

He added that PIA had given the insurance money to the family just two weeks ago.

“I request the PIA to include new airplanes in their fleet to decrease the chances of crashes and accidents,” he said.

Shah Fahad, the brother of 26-year-old victim Ayesha Usman, said he reads the newspapers in order to get information about the plane crash. He said his sister was married and that the PIA had paid Rs5 million to the family.

The nephew of 45-year-old victim Mohammad Khan, Attaur Rehman said his uncle worked in a project in the Agha Khan University.

“He had a son and four daughters. They are all students and were dependent on their father,” he said.

Hasina Gul, a student of class seven from Chitral did not board the plane with the rest of the family as she had exams. She lost her father, mother, two sisters and two brothers in the crash. She has not been paid insurance money yet as she is not an adult and a decision about her guardianship has not been reached. It is reported that the Agha Khan Foundation has taken custody of Ms Gul, is providing her education and lodging.

According to sources, the insurance money for the late singer turned evangelist Junaid Jamshed and his wife Nayha Junaid could not be paid as the genuine heirs of the couple could not be identified.

A CAA official said the investigation of the plane crash was handed over to the Safety Investigation Board (SIB).

“Though SIB was under the CAA’s control, it was made a neutral and independent body in order to avoid allegations against the CAA. We are waiting for the report and do not know how much longer it will take. We also do not know if it will be made public or not,” he said.

PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told Dawn the airline is not part of the investigation.

“We have not received any report yet and we have been focusing on paying the victims’ families insurance money,” he said.

He said the airline is doing its best to complete the process of paying insurance money and has even advertised the matter in the newspapers to remove all ambiguities and identify the genuine heirs.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2017