Army chief meets Tablighi Ijtima delegation

General Qamar Javed Bajwa prays for victims of Tezgam tragedy

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has prayed for the departed souls and swift recovery of injured of Tezgam train tragedy in which at least 75, mostly members of Tablighi Ijtima, were killed last month.

The army chief expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident during a meeting with a delegation of Raiwind Tablighi Ijtima on Monday, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet.

Notables of Raiwind Tablighi Ijtimaa met COAS. Army Chief offered Fateha for departed souls in tragic Tezgam train incident. Also prayed for early recovery of the injured. pic.twitter.com/jHoqvxlbtk

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) November 11, 2019

At least 75 people died and hundreds others wounded in the Tezgam train accident on October 31. Railways officials said some of the train’s passengers were cooking breakfast around dawn when two of their gas cylinders exploded, sending flames racing through three carriages as the train passed near Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab.

One of the carriages — Wagon No. 12 — was carrying mainly people from Mirpurkhas, the town’s deputy commissioner, Attaullah Shah, said. “There was never such a tragic incident to happen to Mirpurkhas.”

The Ministry of Railways suspended six officers for alleged negligence in the aftermath of the Tezgam Express tragedy.