Fate intervenes to counter human endeavour

Islamabad
There are a number of aspects that are out of the control of human endeavour and this was aptly demonstrated this weekend when a tragic accident took place and changed what was to be a memorable experience into one of mourning for many and self-blame for a few.
Conceived by the Dean who loves Pakistan, the well-planned trip had been put together in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Serena Hotels and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and taken a lot of hard work to make it a success. The purpose was to showcase the beautiful areas of the country and experience first-hand the culture and the hospitality of its people.
It was a bright and clear morning as an excited group of diplomats — most of them with their spouses, a couple of them with children — and a few other people gathered at the Nur Khan Air Base for an onward flight to the Northern Areas. The leader of the delegation, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of Argentina Rodolfo Martin-Saravia was busy answering phone calls of participants and Chief of Protocol Moin ul Haque was kept busy finalising last minute details. After enjoying refreshments, thoughtfully served by the Air Force, it was time to leave. Punctuality was observed and at the scheduled time the C-130 took off with some passengers saying a prayer and others giving the thumbs-up signal.
No one who has not travelled this route can imagine the breathtaking view of the mountains which can be seen as the plane flies through the valleys. Cameras clicked; there were exclamations of delight and appreciation; more refreshments were served and the time went by so fast that before we knew it we had arrived at the airport in Gilgit. A ‘royal’ welcome awaited the group. Officials of the Gilgit-Baltistan Government were present as well as a number of Army and Air Force officers to welcome the visitors and to oversee their transfer from the plane to the helicopters, which were already standing

by.
The transfer went smoothly. Diplomats were boarded according to the ABC of protocol, with the A’s coming first and so on. The four female ambassadors were boarded on the ‘PM Special,’ and off they went, one by one. Being on helicopter number four proved to be one where a burning — figurative and actual — memory has been stamped on my mind. As we were about to land, looking out of the window I saw a huge fire and remarked that it appeared a building had caught fire and some cameras came out to record the scene. Our thoughts on wondering why it was taking so long to land were soon answered as we landed at Gilgit. The big question was why? While most of the groups were calm and waited patiently to know what had happened, a couple of non-diplomats pressed the assistant chief of protocol, Fatima Tanweer and other officials trying not to create a panic, for an answer. As per procedure, unless something is confirmed, no statement can be made and these rules were followed but that something had gone wrong was evident.
Back at the hotel the news that a helicopter had crashed had already been picked up by TV channels and was being broadcast but they had no details, which caused more concern among the diplomats about the fate of their colleagues. After a while seven deaths were confirmed, including that of three crew members and that others were alive, some with minor and others with serious injuries. These people survived because of the courageous pilots, who could have saved themselves but sacrificed their lives so others may live.
When group members who were at Naltar arrived at the hotel, there were tears; feelings of relief and regret and most of all sorrow for the victims of the tragedy. Having been witness to the accident, they dismissed the claim of the Taliban that the copter had been shot down, saying it was definitely an accident. There was anxiety about those who were injured and diplomats were taken later in the day to see their colleagues in the hospital, after which a simple ceremony was held in the Serena conference room to pray for the dear departed, with the ambassador of Egypt, Said Hindam saying the Muslim prayer and ambassador of Belgium, Peter Claes the Christian one. Words of condolence were offered by Moin ul Haque who, with tears in his eyes, said that his heart was bleeding and the Dean, who was ‘heart-broken’ at the turn events had taken.
Very early next morning everyone attended the brief but touching funeral ceremony at the Gilgit Air Force Base, the coffins, draped in their national flags carried with full honour and loaded on helicopters to be transported to Islamabad, while everyone else was taken to the airport to be flown home, some on a chartered PIA flight and the rest, along with the injured, on a C-130. On arrival at Nur Khan Base, small bouquets were presented to the passengers and the Armed Forces Chiefs, led by COAS General Raheel Sharif, Special Assistant to the PM Tarik Fatemi and his wife, many other officials, some diplomats who had not gone on the trip and other members of embassies were present to greet the diplomats and express their sorrow.
During this harrowing incident, the Army and Air Force officers and personnel, officials of the GB government went beyond the call of duty to see to the welfare and well being of the survivors as well as other members of the group. The staff of the Serena Hotels must be given a ‘shabaash’ for coping so efficiently with the sudden and unexpected change of plans. But as in all situations there are a few people who stand out for their extraordinary conduct and this time it was the Chief of Protocol, Moin ul Haque, his young assistant Fatima and in a separate capacity, CEO Serena Hotels Aziz Boolani. The two MFA officials did not rest for a minute. Moin ul Haque was calm and compassionate, gently firm, taking control of the situation and being a pillar of strength for everyone, while his assistant took care of the small details, making sure everything went smoothly. Aziz Boolani took care of the many arrangements that are required to see everyone was comfortable, met their requirements and was the person, apart from Moin, most people turned to when there was a query or a problem.
As everyone departed for home they resolved that they would not be deterred by the accident but would definitely visit the areas they could not manage to this time around because fate — or destiny — intervened.