Opposition takes govt to task over Murree tragedy


Opposition leaders, Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari among others, censured the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Saturday over its response to the tragedy that unfolded in Murree

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif said that the deaths of the tourists in Murree was a tragic incident and the government's administrative incompetence and criminal negligence was to blame for it

A rescue operation was underway after at least 20 tourists, stranded in their vehicles, succumbed to the extreme weather during a snowstorm on the night of January 7

Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was ‘shocked’ and ‘upset’ by the tragedy in Murree as he ordered an inquiry into the incident

Expressing grief over the deaths of the tourists, Sharif questioned why the people were not rescued and taken to safe places “when the government knew that the citizens were trapped in this bitter cold

He said the incident was a sign that the government did even not have the administrative capacity to manage traffic in Murree and Galyat areas

“Why does the government have the right to stay in power If it does not have the capacity to manage even a thousand vehicles? Why did the government know that the tourists were flocking to the area in such large numbers? Where was the administration

why did it not make advance arrangements?” the PML-N leader said as he bombarded the government with questions

Read Calamity in Murree as at least 20 tourists freeze to death in cars “Imran Niazi does not have moral courage,” he said, calling for dismissal of "the minister and his subordinates responsible for this serious criminal negligence"

"Someone should be held responsible for this unjust calamity,” he said

The opposition leader added that the government's criminal silence on the incident was tantamount to committing a cardinal sin

"This is not death; this is murder!" he remarked

Shehbaz said that his heartfelt sympathies and condolences were with the bereaved families

“May Allah Almighty place the deceased in mercy and give patience to the bereaved,” he prayed

On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples’ Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the tragedy could have been avoided had the tourists been informed of the weather forecast in time

The PPP leader expressed sorrow and condoled the deaths of the tourists, adding that the whole country was mourning the tragic incident

He urged the local administration to take immediate steps to help the stranded people

'PM responsible for Murree deaths' Meanwhile, PML-N’s Punjab President Rana Sanaullah also held the premier responsible for the deaths in Muree

Speaking to the media at Aiwan-e-Adl, where the Lahore Bar Association (LBA)’s elections were in progress, Sanaullah claimed that politicians served their energy in making tall claims and portraying a rosey picture rather than taking concrete measures to rescue the innocent visitors trapped in the heavy snowfall in Murree

Lambasting Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, he said that the minister appeared on TV screens only after some channels started reporting on the gory

“Sheikh Rashid then informed of the measures they were going to take to rescue the people

I ask him where he was when they were crying for help throughout the night,” the PML-N leader observed

He further called for an FIR to be registered against officials who showed in negligence tackling the situation

"I am at a loss to understand the government's inefficiency; rather than constricting people from entering Murree they seemed to be informing them that around a hundred thousand vehicles have entered the hill station

No reasonable measures were taken to pull out the trapped people," he added With additional inout from Rana Yasif



Date:09-Jan-2022 Reference:View Original Link