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PS to COAS records statement before ATC

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Prosecution witness Brig. Nadeem Taj, private secretary to the Chief of Army Staff, on Friday was recording his statement before the Anti Terrorism Court judge, Rehmat Hussain Jafferi, in the October 12 conspiracy case, that said Captain Sarwat called him in the cockpit and informed him that the plane had been denied landing at the Karachi airport or anywhere else in Pakistan.

The main accused former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and other six were present in the court.

Brig. Nadeem said he was accompanying COAS on his return from Colombo on October 12 in the PIA flight No. PK-805. When the plane was near Karachi at about 7 p.m., Captain Sarwat called him in the cockpit and informed him that the Air Traffic Control (ATC) had denied landing and asked the captain to fly to any other destination in Pakistan at his (pilots) own risk.

Nadeem said "Capt. Sarwat informed me of ground realities and said there was fuel for only about one hour and ten minutes. On the insistence of Capt. Sarwat I informed the COAS about the situation who instructed me to keep the information undisclosed to avoid any panic in the plane.

"I also called the ADC to COAS Maj. Tanveer and asked him to bring the mobile phone and contact the ground to know the situation. Three phones were tried but in vain.

"The ADC and I were trying to communicate from the corridor between the seating area and the cockpit."

He said when he informed the COAS, his first response was that the information should not be passed on the passengers as that would create chaos, confusion and panic.

Brig. Nadeem said then along with the COAS he went to the cockpit where Capt. Sarwat explained the situation to the COAS. At this stage options were discussed to land at other airfields but all were discarded by the pilot, except landing at the Karachi or Nawabshah Airport, in any circumstances.

The pilot Nadeem said, told ATC that the plane was short of fuel and needed landing. In response the pilot was refused landing and instructed to land anywhere outside Pakistan. Thereafter the director of flight operations advised the plane to go to Nawabshah. After sometime the plane received clearance from the ATC to go to Nawabshah. " While we were still midway, the pilot received clearance to divert to Karachi. By this time, Gen. Pervez Musharraf had gone back to his seat asking the pilot to do his best."

At about 7:30 Gen. Iftikhar came on air and asked the pilot to return to Karachi and land at the airport. The pilot agreed to do so but only after authentication that it was the voice of Gen. Iftikhar.

Brig. Nadeem said Capt. Sarwat asked the COAS to verify/identify the voice of Gen. Iftikhar. Then COAS identified the voice and went back to his seat. The plane landed at the Karachi airport thereafter.

APP add:

Brigadier Nadeem Taj said certain options were also discussed for landing at Faisal or Masroor Air Bases or at Bandar Abbas, Meharabad in Iran or Ahmedabad in India. He said the Chief of Army Staff IAB-INITIO refused to even consider the possibility of landing at Ahmedabad and said "if we cross international border of Pakistan and enter India the Indian air defence would destroy us in the sky". Thereafter the possibility of Masroor and Nawabshah was considered.

He said the pilot also discarded all the options except of landing at Karachi or Nawabshah. He said time and again the Pilot contacted ATC and informed them about the fuel position which was getting worse every moment but he was asked to leave Pakistan.

Brigadier Nadeem Taj told the Court that after a fairly long time Director Flight Operations asked the pilot to proceed to Nawabshah and when they were between Nawabshah and Karachi the ATC asked the plane to come back to Karachi.

At this time he and the COAS again went into the cockpit where COAS asked the pilot "to do whatever the best for the plane and the passengers" because pilot was in a state of confusion at that time.

He said the situation was getting grim, and hopeless by every minute.

He said the pilot kept the options open for landing at Karachi or Nawabshah. He said at about 7.30 pm General Iftikhar came on air and asked the pilot to get the plane back to Karachi.

The witness said after positive identification of General iftikhar by Chief of Army Staff the pilot started moving towards Karachi. We come back to our seats and the plane finally landed at Karachi airport around 7.50 pm.

The proceedings were then adjourned till Saturday morning.