Sindh govt reluctant to take blame for deaths
CM Sindh and information minister concluded that it was CAA’s responsibility to rescue those trapped in the...
Cold storage where seven trapped workers were found dead after the attack on Karachi airport. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
As seven people remained trapped in a cargo storage facility in the aftermath of the attack on Karachi’s airport, officials within the provincial government and other departments reportedly split hairs over who was responsible for tackling the situation.
While the provincial government said it was not its responsibility to provide machinery to force open the facility, a private builder was able to do just that.
On Monday night, Express News highlighted the cause of officials trapped in a Gerry’s D’nata facility for eight hours as government officials passed the buck on. Families of those trapped blocked Shahrae Faisal for some time in order to draw the attention of the authorities, but their calls remained unheard by everyone from Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to Director General Civil Aviation Authority Muhammad Yusuf.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Information Minister Sharjeel Memon did visit the airport, but concluded that it was the CAA’s responsibility to rescue those trapped in the facility.
While the CAA declared the airport open and officials tried to maintain a regular flight schedule, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) also remained absent from the scene, even as family members insisted that their loved ones were still alive inside the facility.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2014.
As seven people remained trapped in a cargo storage facility in the aftermath of the attack on Karachi’s airport, officials within the provincial government and other departments reportedly split hairs over who was responsible for tackling the situation.
While the provincial government said it was not its responsibility to provide machinery to force open the facility, a private builder was able to do just that.
On Monday night, Express News highlighted the cause of officials trapped in a Gerry’s D’nata facility for eight hours as government officials passed the buck on. Families of those trapped blocked Shahrae Faisal for some time in order to draw the attention of the authorities, but their calls remained unheard by everyone from Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to Director General Civil Aviation Authority Muhammad Yusuf.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Information Minister Sharjeel Memon did visit the airport, but concluded that it was the CAA’s responsibility to rescue those trapped in the facility.
While the CAA declared the airport open and officials tried to maintain a regular flight schedule, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) also remained absent from the scene, even as family members insisted that their loved ones were still alive inside the facility.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2014.