Shehbaz demands formation of judicial commission to probe Murree tragedy

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif on Monday demanded the formation of a judicial commission to probe the Murree tragedy in which more than 20 people lost their lives after being stranded in heavy snow.

Speaking during a session of the National Assembly, Shahbaz condemned the "mismanagement" on part of the government that, according to him, led to the tragic deaths.

It should be recalled that on Saturday night, more than 20 tourists died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Murree after their vehicles got stuck in heavy snow.

"Twenty-three people lost their lives in the tragic incident, while tourists were stuck in snow for more than 20 hours but no one bothered to help them," Shahbaz said.

He added that people kept calling for help but neither the traffic police nor any other body was there to assist them.

"The Murree tragedy was nothing but an administrative failure and it demonstrates the incompetency and criminal negligence of the incumbent government," he said.

He further said that it was not the first time that Murree received heavy snowfall and this time, snowstorms had been forecast, so the authorities concerned could have taken preventative measures beforehand.

Referring to the Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry’s earlier statement in which he appreciated the "boost in Murree's tourism," Shahbaz said: "When the tragic incident happened a 'Neru' was sleeping in Islamabad, while the other one was busy rigging Punjab’s local body elections."

Shahbaz said that every year, millions of tourists visit Murree and a road map of preventive measures was also given to the hill station's administration but the "government dealt with the Murree issue in the same way as it did to destroy the country’s economy."

The PML-N president criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement in which he said that the district administration was unprepared to deal with the situation.

"If the administration was not prepared for the situation, then what are you doing? Resign from the post and go back home," Shahbaz said.

The Opposition leader further added that the “nation will not pardon the government for its criminal negligence."

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