The tragic helicopter accident in Naltar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, is also a tragedy for the diplomatic community in Pakistan. Deaths of the Norwegian and Philippine ambassadors and the spouses of the Malaysian and Indonesian envoys are in addition to the three deaths of Pakistani armed forces personnel operating the helicopter.
Moreover, among the nearly dozen or so other passengers on board, several diplomats have suffered serious injuries. What was meant to be a confidence-building exercise — the trip was organised as part of an effort by the Foreign Office and the military to showcase the country’s scenic north and its tourism potential — turned into a horrifying event. There is though much courage in adversity.
The sombreness and dignity with which the international community, particularly those of the countries whose diplomats have been affected, have reacted to Friday’s tragedy should be noted: this beleaguered nation has many friends internationally who do wish it well, a reality sometimes lost in the noise of geopolitics.
For Pakistan, there remain a host of unanswered questions — inevitable in the wake of a tragedy, though perhaps worryingly familiar.
To begin with, however, it was reassuring to see the military and the Foreign Office cooperate smoothly with each other and in a compassionate manner with the affected foreign missions.
The authorities also worked well to quickly make public the news from the crash site, dispelling the notion that the Taliban had sought to create that the helicopter crash was an attack by the banned TTP.
In present times, high-profile accidents or deaths quickly attract speculation, so it was necessary to quell those from the outset.
Perhaps, though, in the determination to refute TTP propaganda, the authorities here overstepped the mark. As the global experience of aviation crashes suggests, it is almost impossible to immediately and authoritatively identify the cause of an accident — irrespective of how many witnesses there are on the ground or survivors on-board.
To claim a technical malfunction of some sort, as several officials did on Friday, is to prejudge the source of the accident.
Answers will only be forthcoming once the Pakistan Air Force inquiry board meets and begins the search for answers. That is the stage at which the preference for secrecy by the state ought to be resisted.
The public here deserves to know the full truth, as do the families and governments of the countries affected by the crash. A thorough investigation followed by full disclosure is extremely rare in Pakistan — but that is the only way for systems to improve, and accountability, if necessary, to be pursued.
Seven people are dead, a rare and serious incident with diplomatic repercussions has occurred, false claims of responsibility have already been made and military aviation is involved — this is precisely the incident in which the state should seek to set new standards for transparency.
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