AirBlue jet down in Islamabad

[adamalikhan]

Legal procedures delaying compensation payment to Airblue crash victims

KARACHI: Despite lapse of over 10 months after Airblue plane crash, just eight out of 152 victims’ families have received the insurance claims worth Rs5 million, while the rest remain deprived due to the lengthy procedure of legal documentation, sources said on Tuesday.

“The disbursement of the compensation to the families (of the crash victims) has been largely completed, except for those who were still in the process acquiring the documents essentially needed to fulfil the legal procedures,” Airblue Director Corporate Affairs Sadia Mohamad told The News.

The fateful Airblue plane had crashed on mountains near Islamabad killing all aboard on July 28, 2010.

The heirs of the crash victims need to acquire the succession certificates from the High Court to receive the insurance claim worth Rs5 million.

Haris Lodhi son of Shireen Lodhi, one of the crash victims, said that acquiring the succession certificate was a very lengthy and hectic procedure and one needed to hire a lawyer for the purpose.

He said that Airblue has decided to erect a memorial near the site of the accident to honour the memory of the deceased.

Lodhi informed that he had received a letter from the Airblue informing that the planning for the memorial had been underway since early 2011 and the design and location of the memorial had been finalised.

“We are working in coordination with the relevant authorities to complete the construction of the memorial in time for the first commemoration,” notes the Airblue letter seen by The News.

The airline has prepared a remembrance programme for July 28 and would take the victims’ heirs at the memorial site in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigation team has completed its report and submitted it to the Ministry of Defence, which would release the report after due consideration.

“Airblue has fully cooperated in every possible manner with the CAA team in completion of the report. Airblue has also stressed upon the government at all levels to make the report public as soon as possible,” said Sadia Mohamad.

Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDe ... t=6/8/2011

[FULLTHRUST]

Haris Lodhi son of Shireen Lodhi, one of the crash victims, said that acquiring the succession certificate was a very lengthy and hectic procedure and one needed to hire a lawyer for the purpose.

I know that for sure, when my dad passed away in 1988, we had to obtain the succession cert from the session court - interestingly, rana bhagwan das (may GOD do the justice with him too) was the session judge, and udru mohawara was fit - jootian ghis gain theen cert laitay laitay..........kameengi ki inteha us waqat bhi thi!!

[divine]

@FULLTHRUST

I am one of the Victims ... and i agree with u ... we are facing same problems that you have faced :/
In me insaniyat naam ki koi cheez nai hai
There is no time limit to obtain the cert.
i heard that the larger the property the more time they consume to make the cert.. Pethetic

[FULLTHRUST]

Divine,

I can imagine the turmoil all the dear ones are facing due to the red-tapism, and illogical bureaucratic barriers!! - which at the end of the day make some people adopting other ways and means! While you arrange all the paper work, these judges ask you to come after 45/50/65 days - why???

There was another cert (Heir-ship Cert) required at that time from the DC's (Deputy Commissioner) office, that was comparably easy to get!!

From an airlines' perspective, the longer the money is in their banks more their (interest) profits.

While there is no replacement for a human life, first I pray for the deceased and then I suggest you to hire a lawyer who knows his subject and is "imandaar" - also, pay him a bit more to get speedy results, and always remember - "penny wise pound foolish".

[offspring]

With a good lawyer succession certificate does not take more than 3 months. In this scenario I am sure with the judge's sympathy the process can be further expedited.

[meekal ahmed]

This is being too nice, most of all to AB.

The monument should have been completed by the first anniversary. There is no use taking the families there to look at burnt shrub.

There is also a monument to be erected for the 75 buried in the Islamabad grave-site. That should have been completed as well by now. It is not rocket-science.

Compensation cannot be fair unless you know the CAUSE of the accident. Rs 5 million is peanuts. The report is being concealed, as is our tradition, by the Ministry of Defense. This is reprehensible and deplorable.

Any one of us, with some knowledge of aviation, know what is in that report.

The cases in the Peshawar and Sind high courts are dragging on with no dates set. Obviously, someone has approached the right people. I will give you guys three guesses as to who it might be. Let us not kid ourselves.

Throughout the world airlines which have had accidents treat families with great compassion and respect. We treat them, as in this case, as bothersome and dispensable. We want them to go away.

I believe, as one example, Swissair still takes the families each year to Peggy's Cove, Halifax, Canada, where Swissair 1-11 went down. There is a monument there in memory of those who perished.

Now, someone is going say, what is the connection between AB and Air France 447 that I am going to speak about? Why am I bringing this up?

Well, bear with me.

Oh sure, the French drink too much, are "great seducers", ungodly, they do racist things like ban the burqa and are isufferably arrogant.

But they value human life.

After several million dollars spent over two long years, vowing never to give up, they found the CVR and DFDR, brought it up from 12,000 feet on the ocean floor lying amid jagged, mountainous terrain, decoded it and published the output for all to see. And this was done despite the fact that even without the black box a French judge had already issued a preliminary decree of manslaughter against Air France and Air Bus.

But they did it anyway knowing fully well that should the worst-case scenario come to light (which it has), Air France and Air Bus will have to dish out several hundred millions in compensation, apart from the damage to their reputations.

Heck, guys, even the Indian's just published the report of the Air India Express accident on that death-defying "table-top" airport they have. He came in "hot-and-high" when he should have been right on the numbers, could not stop and went off into a deep ravine. He ignored his co-pilot's urgings to "go-around".

I hope you gentlemen don't think I am being harsh. I feel deeply for the families. Not only in the case of AB, but the families of those that perished before at Cairo, Taif, Khatmandu, East Pakistan, the Northern Areas, and Multan whose loved one's died without giving them the comfort of knowing why.

[Abbas Ali]

Air Blue crash: Design, location of plane crash memorial finalised

By Qaiser Zulifqar

Published: June 13, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Just 47 days ahead of the first anniversary of the deadliest air crash in the capital, Air Blue has decided to act on its eleven-month old commitment to erect a monument in the Margalla Hills to pay tribute to the crash victims.

Air Blue flight ED 202 crashed in the Margalla Hills on July 28 last year killing all 152 passengers on board. The design and location of the memorial has now been finalised.

“The monument would mark Syed Haider’s grave since I could not retrieve my younger brother’s body for burial,” Syed Fahad told The Express Tribune. In an attempt to defuse the immense pressure from the families for the monument’s construction, the airline has asked them to provide the passengers’ names which will appear on the memorial. “Soon after the crash, the government and the airline promised to erect a monument and construct 72 graves in a graveyard in Islamabad before the first anniversary, said Haris Lodhi from Karachi who lost his mother in the crash. “The government and Air Blue have failed to fulfil their promise.”

The monument, to be constructed near Daman-e-Koh and not at the crash site since the location is not appropriate, will cost Rs20 million, according to Air Blue’s Director Corporate Affairs, Sadia Mohammad.

The airline has organised a memorial programme for July 28 and it will operate special flights to fly the victims’ families to Islamabad on the first anniversary of the crash.

The director said 39 families have received the final compensation of Rs5 million whereas Air Blue has already paid out Rs0.5 million to all 146 families.

Air Blue’s investigation team has completed its report and submitted it to the ministry of defence, according to a letter available with The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2011.

Source: tribune.com.pk

[meekal ahmed]

Rs 5 million as "final" compensation?

I am sure they have signed off and indemnified AB for ever. This is called "hush money".

These 39 people are being conned. Rs 5 million (or Rs 20 million) makes no sense until there is a determination of the cause of the accident.

How has this figure been arrived at?

The behaviour of AB has been woeful, atrocious and reprehensible. Their arrogance has been stunning.

I hope no one here flies with them.

[adamalikhan]

I cannot read Urdu, however there is a line at the bottom of the article which I guess sums up the article:

According to source automatic guns of presidency shot down the Air Blue Plane because plane enters no fly zone of Islamabad.



Source: http://www.columnpk.com/air-blue-plane- ... eal-story/

[pk363]

I cannot read Urdu, however there is a line at the bottom of the article which I guess sums up the article:According to source automatic guns of presidency shot down the Air Blue Plane because plane enters no fly zone of Islamabad.

Dont worry if you dont read urdu, this article is not worth it but a piece of crap.

[adamalikhan]

Air Blue tragedy: Submit report on air crash in three months, defence ministry told

The defence ministry has been asked to submit its report on the Air Blue crash investigation before a parliamentary panel on human rights within three months.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights further directed the defence ministry to address all cases of compensation for family members of the Air Blue crash victims.

The committee that met under its chairman Riaz Fatyana on Wednesday directed that the Air Blue administration be taken onboard for the report and the responsibility and cause of the crash be presented before the committee.

The defence secretary informed the committee that the report would be sent to the prime minister and upon approval it would be sent to other concerned departments. He added that according to the law the party concerned would have to wait for 60 days for the process to be completed, which is why the report would be submitted in three months.

A report submitted before the committee by the Director-General Civil Aviation Authority claimed that Rs5 million had been paid to the 136 legal heirs of each victim of the crash. Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, addressing a press briefing, said that officials were aware of the reasons behind the Air Blue crash, but details could not be made public at this time.

Kharotabad incident

In regard to the five people killed in Kharotabad, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with police statements.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2011.

Airblue Crash: Defence Ministry refuses to submit report to NA committee

ISLAMABAD: The Defence Ministry refused to submit the inquiry report into the Air Blue crash accident to the National Assembly’s (NA) Standing Committee on Human Rights, on Wednesday.

Ministry officials briefed the standing committee about the investigations’ progress and admitted that they have all facts and figures regarding the accident but are not authorized to forward information to the committee, citing some legal issues which will be resolved soon, after which the report will be forwarded to Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and made public afterwards.

The NA Committee, however, expressed its reservations on the non- payment of compensation to the crash affectees and directed it to be paid within four months.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar had said that officials know the reason behind the Air Blue crash in 2010, but details could not be made public at this time.
Speaking during a press briefing, Mukhtar also said that some important details regarding the attack on the PNS Mehran base had been uncovered, but these too could not be made public at this time.

These details have however been shared with the national assembly standing committee on defence in private.

The article continues re other matters; Relations with the US

Source: http://www.zemnews.com/2011/06/29/airbl ... committee/

[FULLTHRUST]

Its not that easy to down an aircraft that is Pakistan registered - that too took off from KHI after having ADC clearance and a legitimate "squawk" code - a four lettered code for friend or foe ident!!

Failed to ident navy seals choppers ---- get down a PK registered a/c with proper squak is beyond consumption!!

[Abbas Ali]

Govt reminded of its promise to build monument at Margalla Hills

Myra Imran

Friday, July 01, 2011

Islamabad: In an open letter written to Interior Ministry, the Youth Senate Pakistan (YSP) has urged the government to fulfil its promise of building monument at the Margalla Hills in the memory of unfortunate AirBlue plane crash that claimed 152 innocent lives last year.

The letter says that as July 28 approaches with its harsh memories, the visitors of Margalla Hills still keep beckoning different sites of the accident, as they don’t know the exact spot. “They are also unaware about the contribution of those who died in this unfortunate plane crash,” mentions the letter written by YSP Chairperson Hanan Ali Abbasi.

The burned area around the crash site was visible for few a months from most parts of the Margalla Hills, but with the passage of time it has disappeared. “There is a time-honoured truism that life is priceless and can’t be compensated with anything, but at least what we can do is to appreciate death by remembering those who are not with us,” says the letter.

Addressing the interior minister, the letter says that AirBlue plane crash was an unprecedented accident in the history of Pakistan as it had claimed six future, devoted leaders of the Youth Parliament and 146 other valuable lives. “In our opinion, if the memories and services of all the victims of the Margalla Hills could be gathered, a monument higher than all the pyramids would rise,” it points out.

The letter reminds the Interior Ministry that a few days after the crash, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elhai came to the condolence ceremony held near the site and officially announced that CDA would build a monument near the site of the accident in the memories of martyrs of Youth Parliament and other passengers. “It is to inform you that the developments have not yet been seen in this regard,” says the letter.

The letter claimed that CDA has built the Police Martyr Monument at Melody Market, which is a laudable act, but in the case of AirBlue crash, there is no progress in the construction of monument. The YSP is of the opinion that the government officials merely paid a lip service and did nothing regarding transparent investigation process of Margalla plane crash. “It’s a need of hour that the investigation process should be completed before July 28 and all responsible people should be brought to justice,” the letter says while demanding that the whole process should be public and safety measures be taken to thwart such accidents in future.

CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid agreed that the announcement was made by the CDA chairman, but he also requested the CAA and members of the Youth Parliament Pakistan to provide complete information about the victims. “It was proposed that the monument will be a wall with information and achievements of victims inscribed on it,” he said. Ramzan said that no relevant department has contacted the CDA yet in this regard.

Source: The News

[TAILWIND]

I cannot read Urdu, however there is a line at the bottom of the article which I guess sums up the article:

According to source automatic guns of presidency shot down the Air Blue Plane because plane enters no fly zone of Islamabad.

Absurd.......

[meekal ahmed]

Absurd? Absolutely!

But it is unnerving to note that on a post on ET, 49 people "LIKED" the theory of a shoot-down.

So I reckon they think it was shot down just as it reached the ridge-line. Great timing!