The DNA tests carried out to identify the bodies of PIA’s plane crash victims by the SFDL Dept. Of ICCBS (KU) were mishandled and lead to a fiasco where bodies were handed over to wrong heirs and that too without any documented DNA or forensic reports from SFDL. Ahmad Murtaza is still awaiting his brother’s body which was buried by Qayyom heirs (PIA employee). However, the one remaining body that lies unclaimed is not of Qayyom thus casting a huge doubt on everybody released based on these erroneous reports by the SFDL (Sindh Forensic DNA & Serology Laboratory)
To highlight their plight, families of the deceased passengers carried out a press conference at Karachi press Club. Arif Iqbal Faruqui whose wife and three children lost their lives in this crash highlighted that people operating DNA labs in Sindh do not have the basic capability carrying out DNA profiling so instead they handed over wrong bodies of victims to relatives on the basis of dental test.
Arif Iqbal Faruqui who identified body of his wife and elder daughter immediately but had to go through the inefficient DNA procedure to search for the bodies of her young daughter and son was highly critical of the people running the facility in Sindh. He highlighted that when he posted his plight on social media, a friend referred his case to Director General of Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) Dr Muhammad Ashraf Tahir who within hours helped him in identifying the morgue where bodies of his children were placed.
Faruqui explained that PFSA had been tasked with identifying bodies of plane crash victims with the sole purpose of identifying body of Khalid Sherdil, a bureaucrat who was also one of the victims of this unfortunate plane crash. It is because of their involvement that people came to know that DNA testing requires only hours but on the contrary, health minister of Sindh Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho is on record saying that this procedure would require 21 days.
Ghazal Beg whilst expressing her plight said that Mirza Waheed Baig was my only brother. My mother went for DNA test on the night of 22nd May. Due to improper system she was also made to visited some morgues for physical identification of his son’s body. The scars on her mother’s mind on seeing the bodies lying there in dilapidated condition will be hard to remove. She was asking questions from management of PIA and also from Sindh government that why proper information system is not set up to assist the relatives of victims.
Faruqui also highlighted that as per the procedure, DNA samples are destroyed after 50 days. At the moment Sindh’s Forensic Lab has 97 samples. It will be a great favor on the families of victims if all these samples are sent to Lahore for re-examination.
Faruqui and all other families think that it will be a great disservice on the victims if after correct identification their bodies are exhumed but all our efforts are directed so that correct name plates are fixed on graves.
Arif Faruqui, Ghazal Beg and other participants of this press conference were of the view that government of Pakistan should listen to them and come out with a comprehensive strategy so that in case of any accident or catastrophe, the process of handling dead bodies to victims is completed amicably without adding to the misery of victims’ relatives.
