A consistently high number of “near-misses” and the dismal safety record of the Pakistan International Airlines should have well-prepared everyone for a disaster in the making. While the previous incidents were not taken seriously by the aviation authorities, Wednesday night’s devastating plane crash near the northern town of Havelian validates the urgent need for a meaningful investigation. If the loss of as many as 48 precious lives is unable to prompt some soul-searching in the authorities, God knows which deadlier accident will! Junaid Jamshed, the legendary singer-cum-evangelist, and his wife along with Chitral Deputy Commissioner, Osama Ahmad Warraich, and his family were among those killed in the PK-661 crash. It is not yet clear what caused a plane that had passed a maintenance check only two months earlier to plummet out of a sky amid reportedly clear weather conditions. However, the very fact that the pilot had issued a mayday call with reference to engine failure does spill a lot about what might have gone wrong. Even though the carrier itself has been crash-free for the last decade, Pakistan still needs to learn from a checkered history of aviation disasters. The Karachi crash of a PAF aeroplane in October had occurred only a month after a fighter jet had dropped in the mountainous terrain of Khyber Agency. Another major accident had taken place last year in the country’s north when a military helicopter had crashed, killing eight people that included the Norwegian, Philippine and Indonesian ambassadors and the wives of Malaysian and Indonesian envoys. In 2012, Bhoja Air Flight 123 had crashed in bad weather while attempting to land at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad, killing 127 passengers and crew members. Two fatal commercial air crashes claimed as many as 33 lives within days of each other in 2010. The deadliest accident also occurred in the same year, when an Airblue Flight 202 lost balance and crashed into hills outside Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board. PIA itself has been involved in at least eight of the 16 major aviation accidents in the last five decades. In a horrific accident in 1992, its Airbus A300 had killed 167 people as it crashed into a hillside during an international flight to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. What all these tragedies have in common is the incessant mourning of the families whose dear ones were devoured while officials have not done much except express regret. Given the increasing frequency of these crashes as well as the perpetual losses of human lives, mere compensation announcements can no longer do the trick. We need a thorough safety audit of airline fleets and traffic controllers across the country among other related infrastructure and equipment in order to identify all that has previously gone wrong. A highly rigorous set of guidelines needs to be implemented to undermine the risks that continue to taint air travel despite such phenomenal technological advances. Such precautions can only be taken if the authorities show a determined resolve to uphaul the entire system to prevent these accidents in the future. Our oft-criticised safety standards, which have repeatedly resulted in near-misses when planes have over-shot runways, nearly escaped collisions and even had their engines catch fire, should be immediately replaced with an efficient framework. Investing in new fleets is urgently required to help act against the lethally outdated engines. However, the government also needs to check the thriving nepotism prevalent within the airline and the aviation authorities to ensure all relevant appointments are made in accordance with merit. Yesterday’s crash made Pakistan endure the crucial losses of a legendary television icon as well as a senior civilian bureaucrat. These shining men who had already significantly added to the country’s glory will always be remembered by not just their families but the entire nation. It is hoped that their untimely demise would serve as a wake-up call for the government to set this department straight. After all, Pakistan deserves an air travel that is efficient, comfortable, and above all, safe. We at Daily Times extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loves ones of all victims in this time of inconsolable grief. *