ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s presidential palace issued a statement on Saturday saying that a committee would investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash landing of a Pakistani helicopter.
The Pakistani officials have said that the MI-17 helicopter was being flown to Russia for overhaul via Uzbekistan on Thursday when it made a crash landing in Afghanistan’s Logar province. The Taliban sources have also confirmed that they have all six crew members including a Russian technician in custody.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani presided over a high-level meeting and discussed the latest developments on the emergency landing in the Azra district of the eastern province, the statement added. “A delegation was assigned in order to look into different aspects of the case – including the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing- and whether specifics of the MI-17 helicopter match the ones rendered in the request letter and permission documents,” the statement said.
It also said that the meeting assigned a committee to review the existing rules, regulations and procedures concerning fly-over requests for using Afghan airspace. It said that the committee would look into any probable gaps, and present a comprehensive plan that can preclude such incidents.
The group will then present their findings to the legislative committee of the cabinet. “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan reserves the right to take diplomatic measures based on the findings of the ongoing investigation,” it said.
However, the statement did not add anything about the Afghan government’s efforts to secure the release of the crew members. Officials at the meeting confirmed that Pakistan had requested permission for a MI-17 helicopter to fly through Afghan airspace. Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority had registered specifics of the helicopter and issued permission for a fly-through.
The palace emphasised that the approval was given for the sole purpose of repairs. The Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, Dr Omar Zakhilwal, said on Friday that all hostages were safe. Taliban sources also confirmed that the captives were safe.
