APROPOS of your editorial ‘Aviation safety’ (April 5), you have done well to highlight the apathy of the government in finalising investigations into the most tragic accidents of Airblue and Bhoja Air.

Both the accidents involved Pakistani-registered aircraft. Besides, the tragedy occurred within Pakistan.

Elaborate legal provisions already exist in the Civil Aviation Rules, 1994, for conducting a thorough investigation into such cases. We have experts available in the country, notwithstanding the loss of the astute investigator, Air Commodore (Rtd) Callaghan of unequal investigative acumen.

All that was needed was that under rule 282 the government should have appointed a retired judge of the Supreme Court as chairman of the board of accident inquiry with technical experts of known competence as members of this board.

If required, any other foreign expert from ICAO or elsewhere could have also been co-opted. The rules provide for such high-powered investigation and they are meant to be used. Had this been done, the Peshawar High Court would have not expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation.

However, despite the gravity of the accident, the government thought it fit to let the DG, CAA, conduct the investigation under rule 273.

The investigation report has since been published and is available on Google. It appears adequate in a simple case of disorientation of the captain, who was otherwise fit to fly. What good an inquiry by the ICAO is going to do at this belated stage is not difficult to understand. However, now that high court’s orders seem to have been accepted, these should be implemented post-haste.

As regards the Bhoja Air investigation, the situation is ridiculous. If the chairman is sick and a member has retired, why can’t another chairman and another member be appointed.

Reticence on the part of the government is only raising dubts in the minds of the grieved family members and the public at large that the government wants to hide something when there may be nothing to hide, except lethargy.

The facts gleaned through fine coverage of news papers amply show that the aircraft was airworthy, the pilot was competent and the accident occurred due to pilot error compounded by bad weather when the pilot instead of showing bravado should have gone round.

However, an interesting aspect of this case is that the airline’s management has been accused of conspiracy to murder all the souls on board. How this has happened is anybody’s guess.

Anyhow, the upshot of the above is that the government must not procrastinate in this matter and must finalise the cases as early as possible.

Not only compensation to the bereaved families is being delayed, but also necessary corrective action to improve air safety is being dragged.

S. M. ANWAR Karachi