Stern action should be taken and the concerned minister must immediately resign to set a good example.
KARACHI:
The disaster in a garment factory of Baldia Town, Karachi has resulted in the death of nearly 300 people. There have been reports in the media that the owner of the factory was being asked to pay up an amount to the tune of Rs5 crore as part of an extortion racket because of which he was compelled to leave the country about 15 days ago.
The factory did not have an emergency fire exit and other necessary fire safety equipment. This is not the only case of its kind. Most factories in Karachi, in fact the whole country, have not implemented fire safety measures. The minister for industries, Rauf Siddiqi should have accepted responsibility of the tragedy and should have resigned immediately but I am sorry to note that he has done nothing of the sort.
Taking cosmetic action by firing a few low-level officials are a common practice in this country. I suggest that in view of this huge human tragedy, stern action should be taken and the concerned minister must immediately resign to set a good example.
Mohammad Khan Sial
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2012.
