THE video footages of rescue operation being carried out on the crash site in Pokhara, Nepal, painfully brought back the gloomy memories of the Islamabad-bound flight PK-661 that crashed near Havelian on Dec 7, 2016, resulting in the loss of 47 people on board, including my elder brother.

Those at the helm of affairs in the country need to be reminded that due justice has still not been delivered to the victims of flight PK-661. The investigation report of the tragic crash had clearly uncovered negligence on the part of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) that had led to the catastrophic crash, which claimed precious lives, leaving behind the bereaved family members to mourn their loss forever.

From that ill-fated day more than six years ago, the sight or news of an air crash in any part of the world refreshes the pain my family has gone through, and it also elicits profound empathy for the bereaved families.

Losing loved ones is unequivocally the most difficult thing in anyone’s life, and that happening in such a tragic way like air crash doubles the distress.

May the grieving families of the current Nepal air crash victims soon find the remains of their loved ones, which will somehow soothe their aching heart, and provide them some level of psychological closure.

A deep introspection is needed to determine as to how the developed world has significantly minimised the risks of air accidents, and why most of them occur in the developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Apparently, it seems that best practices of air travel, such as strict compliance to safety and security protocols, and consistent and stern monitoring and maintenance of aircraft that are practised in the developed world, are not followed in letter and in spirit in developing parts of the world, which usually leads to such mishaps.

Therefore, there is a need for the governments in the developing countries to sternly make the airlines abide by the aviation best practices, and harshly punish the non-conformant to maximise the probability of stringent compliance.

Shadman Zain
Chitral

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2023