Govt under fire in KP Assembly over Mohmand mine collapse tragedy

PESHAWAR: The tragic incident of fountain fall in a marble mine at Ziarat in Mohmand tribal district on Monday wherein more than 19 people died echoed in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday.

Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) from the area, Nisar Khan Mohmand speaking on a point of order said scores of people had died in the incident, though the dead bodies of only 19 people had been retrieved. He expressed the fear the number of dead could be 60 to 80. He complained the government and concerned authorities did not take timely steps to rescue the afttectees and the number of casualties could be minimized had rescue operation launched in time.

Many a people lying under the debris called their relatives and requested to rescue them as they were alive but due to absence of heavy machinery nobody could help them rescue, he informed. “The incident took place at about 5.15 PM and we were present till 12 mid night but no heavy machinery had arrived,” he added.

The MPA said though special assistant to the chief minister on mines and minerals, Director Generals (DGs) of mining, Provincial Disaster Management Authority and Rescue 1122 were present to monitor the rescue operation, but their presence was useless as like other people they were unable to provide any help in the rescue in absence of any proper machinery.

The authorities claimed that heavy machinery was being shifted but the claim proved wrong as till Tuesday afternoon no heavy machinery had reached the spot and perhaps those alive lying under the hundreds of mounds stones and mud would have lost their last, he regretted.

He said majority of the victims belonged to poor labourers earning livelihood for their families and the incident was result of blast for mining that also should be investigated either protective measures were adopted or not. He said retrieving of the dead bodies might take months if the government did not take it seriously. Fateha was also offered for the departed souls. Bilawal Afridi of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) also spoke and called for expediting the rescue operation and announcing a package for the victim families.

Special assistant to chief minister, Arif Ahmadzai in his reply said the number of dead was not as high as told by the PMA and as per the eye witnesses there were fears that six/ seven more were missing. He said rescue operation was going on and officers of the concerned departments were monitoring the operation. He said the victim families be provided all types of assistance.

The discussion on indiscrimination in distribution of development funds also continued and the opposition members including Sardar Hussain Babak of the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Sardar Yousaf of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Ahmad Kundi of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Mian Nisar Gul, Waqar Ahmad Khan, Mehmood Ahmad Betani and others came hard on the government for ignoring them in the development schemes. They threatened of launching a protest if the government did not change its policy of victimizing the electorates of opposition members constituencies.

In his reply Finance Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra rejected the opposition claim and said government did not believe in discrimination and punishing the poor people but wanted equal development in the whole province. He counted the government achievements and claimed development were not being released in the name of an MPA or MNA but to an area on need basis.

Speaker Mushtaq Ghani, however, assured the opposition of arranging their meeting with the chief minister within a couple of days to ensure implementation on the understanding reached with the opposition.

The House unanimously passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forensic Science Agency, Bill 2020 and the KP Antiquities (amendment), bill, 2020.

The House witnessed a rumpus before the session was adjourned till Friday at 10 AM when the opposition interrupted the speech of finance minister as protest against deputy speaker Mehmood Jan not allowing of Nisar Mohmand and Mir Kalam Wazir to speak.