23/05/2021
On the 22nd of May 2020 – two days before Eid-ul-Fitr - PIA flight PK 8303 crashed while attempting to land on the Karachi airport runway. I was one of the two people who survived the crash. 97 people lost their lives and I survived. This is the single biggest fact that keeps me traumatized even a year after the crash.
Although I have been managing my recovery well by opting for medical treatment as well psychiatric counseling, I have been unable to recuperate from the survivor’s guilt. I could not bring myself to meet the other survivor or the families of victims. I struggled to attend funerals without thinking that the family of the deceased might be wondering why I was given a miracle when their loved ones were not.
The most unfortunate fact is that even a year after the crash, nothing has changed on a national level to improve passenger safety. This is why I have decided to set up a nonprofit organization that would be dedicated to ensuring in-flight safety and security measures. The plane crash has given me a clear vision of my purpose in life, and this second life which I call a ‘borrowed heaven’ will be devoted to serving humanity.
On the first anniversary of this tragic incident, may God rest the departed souls in peace and give strength to their families.
- Zafar Masud
