Swat tragedy: CM orders action against 14 officials, including DC, Rescue DG

PESHAWAR: The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has approved disciplinary action against officers from the District Administration, Irrigation, Local Government, and Rescue 1122 departments for negligence in the Swat tragedy, where delayed rescue efforts resulted in tourists drowning in floodwaters.

The Provincial Inspection Team (PIT) report on the Swat tragedy reveals a lack of coordination among key departments, failure of the early warning system, poor regulation of buildings and delayed Rescue 1122 response due to limited training and equipment. The PIT has completed its inquiry and submitted a comprehensive 63-page report to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The report identifies systemic flaws in dealing with such incidents and recommends concrete steps to address these shortcomings. Relevant departments, including district administration, irrigation, local government, and Rescue 1122, will initiate proceedings within 60 days after completing all legal requirements. It pointed out negligence by various government officials and departments and recommends disciplinary action against those responsible. Those identified for disciplinary action includes Shahzad Mehboob, the then Deputy Commissioner, Swat, Ihsan-ul Haq, the then Additional Deputy Commissioner (Relief & HR), Swat, and Javed Iqbal Khattak, Project Director, PMO EFAP. irrigation Dept , Syed Suleman, Deputy Director (North), PMO EFAP, Irrigation Deptt, Inamullah, Executive Engineer, Irrigation Division-I, Swat, Faiz Ali Khan, Gauge Reader at Khwazakhela, Irrigation Department, Nisar Ali, TMO, TMA, Babuzai, District Swat, Shah Fahad, Director General, Rescue - 1122, Muhammad Saad Khan, the then District Emergency Officer, Rescue-1122, Swat, Inayatullah, Control Room Incharge, Rescue - 1122, Swat, Mujahid, Computer Operator/ Wireless Technician, Rescue-1122, Swat, Hambal Khan, Lead Fire Rescuer/ Attendance Reporter, Rescue-1122, Swat, Asmat Ali, LTV Driver/ Diver, Rescue-1122, Swat and Momin Khan, LTV Driver/ Diver, Rescue-1122, Swat.

The departments identified for deficiencies will have 30 days to introduce new protocols and regulatory frameworks. A comprehensive regulatory framework for river safety and building regulations will also be developed within this period. Immediate enforcement of relevant laws and regulations has been directed. The inquiry report says that to ensure implementation of the report’s recommendations, an Oversight Committee will be formed under the chief secretary. This committee will translate the recommendations into actions and present monthly progress reports to the CM Secretariat. It will also integrate river safety modules into the next monsoon contingency plan and accelerate the implementation of Rescue 1122 capacity-building measures. For public awareness, major campaigns will be launched across the province by the Information, Relief, and Tourism Departments. Furthermore, the report states that the advisories by PDMA and district administration were not properly implemented. It highlights a lack of coordination among police, revenue, irrigation, rescue, and tourism departments. The early warning system failed to deliver timely alerts, and regulatory mechanisms for approving building plans and identifying encroachments were unclear. Hotel owners failed to inform tourists of potential dangers, and Rescue 1122 was delayed in responding due to a lack of trained personnel and equipment.

The responsibilities of different departments for river safety were not clearly defined, and no risk classification existed for riverside tourist areas. District-level SOPs for public safety during the monsoon season were missing, and construction near water channels violated existing laws. The report calls for a special provincial law to regulate riverside activities and notes weak implementation of Section 144.

The provincial government launched an indiscriminate anti-encroachment operation along rivers. In the past 10 days, 127 illegal buildings were sealed, constructions on 682 kanals were demolished, 1,874 kanals of encroachments were identified, and 1019 kanals of encroachments were removed. Similarly, 609 kilometers of riverbed were demarcated, 174 barriers were installed, and coordination between Rescue 1122 and the district administration was improved. A river rescue plan was approved under the CM’s leadership to prevent future incidents. As many as 36 prefab rescue stations costing Rs66 million were approved, and Rs739 million allocated for modern rescue equipment. Similarly, Rs608 million for 70 compact rescue stations and Rs200 million for a digital monitoring system was approved.