IHC urged for registration of murder case against Bhoja Airlines’ owner

While representing a number of victims of Bhoja Airlines crash of 2012 in Islamabad, Advocate Omer Adam on Tuesday sought the Islamabad High Court’s directives for registration of a criminal case against the owner of the airline under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

However, the court expressed that it will decide the matter on next date of hearing as to whether there are sufficient grounds to implicate the owner of Bhoja Airlines in murder charges. The section 302 of the PPC is about punishment for murder. According to the section, “Whoever commits murder shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”

Assailing the verdict of additional district and session judge in the matter, the counsel urged the IHC to declare the decision that resulted in deletion of section 302 of the PPC against the owner of the airline as illegal.

Nine years ago on April 12, Bhoja Airlines’ Boeing 737-236A flew from the Jinnah International Airport Karachi for Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad with 127 persons on board, including six flight crew members. The ill-fated aircraft crashed about 4.2 miles short of runway while landing. All those on board lost their lives and the aircraft was also destroyed.

Appearing before Justice Aamer Farooq on Tuesday, the counsel for the family members of the victims contended that Bhoja Airlines’ flight carrying 127 passengers, including men, women and children, crashed in Hussain Abad, Islamabad.