Opp alleges govt was responsible for loss of human lives in Murree disaster

ISLAMABAD   -  The joint opposition in the Senate Tuesday demanded formation of a judicial commission or a committee of the two chambers of the parliament to probe the Murree incident.

During the discussion, the prime minister and the chief minister Punjab came under fire as well as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for their alleged negligence and indifference to the whole incident.  Opening the discussion, Leader of the Opposition Yusuf Raza Gilani said those responsible for 22 deaths in Murree must be held accountable. He recalled that every year, 6-8 camps were set up to cope with any emergency situation while this time, he added, the related machinery parked near Sunni Bank remained unmoved despite the Met Office warning. He demanded a judicial commission to look into the matter and that justice should be seen being done and whosoever was responsible must be taken to task. He pointed out the message from the Pope about Murree was very alarming and should be taken seriously.   He said the government is responsible for the loss of precious human lives in the Murree tragedy. He said the government could have averted that tragedy by taking timely actions.

PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman believed that the incident was completely preventable if the government had taken safety measures integral to every tourist destination in the world. She lamented that despite warnings from the Met Office, the authorities, including the PDMA, NDMA and the local administration did not move and too many people lost their lives. She rejected the five-member committee to investigate this incident, saying an independent investigation is required to determine the criminal negligence by the authorities and recommendations for future.  She alleged that the highways department and local government failed to handle the snowfall situation in Murree. Leader of the House in the Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem categorically stated that action would be taken against those responsible for the Murree tragedy.