JUIF asks Supreme Court to probe Murree deaths

PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUIF) central leader and former senator Haji Ghulam Ali has asked the chief justice Supreme Court of Pakistan to hold investigations into the tragic deaths of 22 innocent people in Murree and Galiyat.

Talking to reporters at the Peshawar Press Club here on Monday, the JUIF leader held the government and administration responsible for the deaths of innocent citizens including children. He observed that such a tragic incident had never happened anywhere in the country in the past.

The JUIF demanded strict punishment for all those responsible for the negligence and leaving the innocent citizens in the lurch in difficult times. He said that if a government and district administration could not save citizens from three feet of snow, how they could cope with any other eventuality in future.

Ghulam Ali said that every year, the government of Punjab must make proper arrangements ahead of snowfall and clear roads in such seasons. “But unfortunately, the rulers and government of Punjab, its ministers and advisers did nothing to save people, except for rubbing salt into the wounds of the citizens and their near and dear ones by blaming them for the tragedy,” he added.

The JUIf leader said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should have given medals to what he called his blue-eyed chief minister of Punjab for such negligence.

He said though the Pakistan Army played a role in lessening the miseries of the people, yet the government ministers offered mere lip service. The JUIF leader said the inefficient rulers spent 48 hours to clear three feet of snow but even then they failed to clear the roads.

He said the rulers could not clear the roads and save precious lives despite the fact that the chief minister had taken notice of the situation. Ghulam Ali posed a question as to where was the National Disaster Management Authority.

He demanded a Shuhada package for all those who were martyred in the inclement weather and extended sympathies to the bereaved families. The JUIF leader demanded strict punishment for all those responsible for negligence and inefficiency that led to the loss of precious lives.