Happening at the heels of the monstrous paint factory blaze in Karachi, the sudden collapse of a three-storey building after a strong blast in explosive fireworks illegally stored in a godown in Rawalpindi close to a police station, must have given rise to widespread fears and havoc, the dreaded suicide bombings included.
That must have been instantly gripped by panic, the blast being heard miles away. People from the surrounding areas and far away places rushed to the scene and joined the work with Rescue 1122 volunteers in which Civil Defence Organisation also participated.
The police and district government officials, reportedly reaching there later, directed the use of heavy machinery for removing the debris, as many people, including labourers and families, were still trapped. Luckily, the volunteers reportedly succeeded in rescuing nine people from the debris and shifting them to two hospitals, the number of the dead placed at three.
Shockingly enough, one eyewitness is reported to have stated that the building came tumbling down in just five seconds after he saw a ball of fire followed by a loud sound of a blast.
Routinely, the police are reported to have arrested the owner of the building and started investigation, saying that two families were living in the ill-fated building, one belonging to the owner and the other to his tenant. The latter is said to be running the banned business of fireworks and importing combustible material from abroad, using the ground floor as godown for stocking the lethal cargo while himself living on the second floor.
More to this, quoting eyewitnesses the police said that the tenant was shifting the fireworks and material to another place when friction caused fire, followed by a blast. According to one report, the City Police Officer (CPO) Saud Aziz said he had ordered an inquiry to find out how the illegal business of combustible material was being run, almost, adjacent to the Ganjmandi Police Station.
Be that as it may, this is not the first time that fireworks related tragedies have taken place. This tragic happening has reference to losses of life and property being increasingly evidenced by suicidal and other blasts. In fact the scare of fireworks has always been there, particularly on festive occasions, with a touch of religious fervour.
And this holds good for almost all countries both in the advanced and developing, among them, as also happening, occasionally though, in China and Britain for instance. In South Asia, notwithstanding the religious divide, at least Muslim societies having remained basically opposed to the display of firework, particularly on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat, the use of fireworks has remained unchecked.
Year after year, official warnings of a routine nature are issued much in advance of the day, but proving of little avail. Of late, besides Shab-e-Barat, extensive indulgence in fireworks has been added to the festivities to mark the advent of Basant or spring, and to the accompaniment of excessive indulgence in kite flying.
Perhaps, playing with fire has been part of human behaviour in given circumstance, but a new dimension will appear to have been added to it with the inhuman sway of terrorism. It will be in the fitness of things for the government to regulate production and sale of fireworks items in order to ensure against such disastrous eventualities.
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