2020 Karachi plane crash survivor Zafar Masud shared the post-crash learnings in a recently released memoir by the name of Seat 1C: A Survivor’s Tale of Hope, Resilience of Renewal.
The book was launched on Saturday (February 22) at the Lahore Literary Festival.
Writer Zafar Masud is one of the two survivors of the 2020 plane crash in Karachi and this book is written in collaboration with Syeda Amna Hasan.
Notably, the plane crash occurred on May 22, 2020, and left 97 passengers along with the crew members dead. PK 8303 flight from Lahore to Karachi crashed in Model Colony near Karachi airport in which only two passengers survived miraculously.
The Aircraft Investigation Board (AIB) report released in February of 2024 delineated that the air traffic controller had four times warned the pilots that they shouldn’t land as their altitude was not right. Just then the engines hit the ground and the report declared that the incident happened because of “engine failure” that led to the crash. Moreover, it blamed the pilots for the human error that led to the death of a large number of people.
The case around the lack of accountability in the crash is going on in the Sindh High Court
In the last hearing which was held in the month of October last year, the Court noted that the final investigation report submitted by the government failed to assign clear responsibility or confirm the implementation of safety recommendations. The Sindh High Court also criticized the federal government for delaying para-wise comments and directed them to file them within 10 days, along with PIA’s response. However, no outcome has been seen yet.
Speaking with a private media outlet, Zafar Masud recounted about his learnings. He also talked about what inspired him to write the book, named after his seat in the plane. “Actually, I thought that these are such unique learnings that, God forbid, no one should ever have to confront or face them. I wanted to share my post-crash learnings – to tell people what it feels like when you come so close to death, how your life changes, and what your life priorities should be,” he said.
The interviewer asked him about the path to a regret-free life as he stressed about it during the session to which he replied that there is no one-size-fits-all answer as everyone’s priorities vary according to personal preferences. However, he emphasised the importance of choosing priorities that generate a good impact on the community. “Personal ambitions should not be pursued at the expense of another’s happiness, prosperity, or welfare,” he categorically said.
During the session the author urged the audience to read the book and learn about tackling some unforeseen circumstances. “If you did not attend our session or were unable to watch it, then you should definitely buy the book—it has much to teach and offer,” he concluded.
