KARACHI: At least 11 people including eight women lost their lives as result of a stampede during a Zakat ration distribution activity at a cloth dyeing factory near Naurus Chowrangi in the jurisdictions of SITE-A police station on Friday, the police said.
The tragic incident comes at a time when citizens are facing high inflation in the country, and the government has launched a flour distribution programme to reach out the poor during the holy Ramadan.
Eyewitnesses said chaos ensued as people rushed to get their share at the ration (Zakat) distribution centre which caused a stampede. Several people fell unconscious, and some of them fell into a drain.
Rush on free ration and Zakat points is creasing, as the prices of essential items are skyrocketed and the poor have lost their purchasing power. According to SITE A police, the ill-fated persons who lost their lives in the stampede were identified as Waseem,12, son of Asif; Saad Umar,7, son of Umar Zada; Ume-e-Hani, 8, daughter of Irshad; Khursheeda, 40, wife of Zafar; Abida, 45, wife of Rashid; Sonia, 40, wife of Saeed; Saeeda Zadi, 40, wife of Umar; Naseema, 50, wife of Shahid, and Wahida, 45, wife of Fazal. However, two bodies were to be identified till filing of this report.
The injured inclided Yasmeen, 40, wife of Jori; Malaika, 20, daughter of Shahid; Moduol, 35, wife of Saeed Zada; Zahida, 40, wife of Rafiq, and Nazeera, 45, wife of Sudhir.
The bodies and injured were moved to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Civil Hospital Karachi.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Muhammad Mughees Hashmi while talking to media, said that the incident took place because of a stampede, adding that the local police station was not informed prior to the Zakat distribution. However, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry condemned in the incident and said that it is true depiction of the country’s economic condition. He criticised PPP-led Sindh government for its alleged indifference.
Sindh Minister for Information, Transport & Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the factory management did not inform about the distribution of charity to the police and the district administration. He said that an FIR has been registered against the factory owners and 7 people have been arrested.
He appealed to philanthropists and non-government organizations to intimate the district administration and police while arranging such charity activities so that they can be provided with adequate security. He said that during the distribution of flour across Pakistan, sad incidents occurred in Punjab; keeping this in mind, the Sindh government decided to transfer the funds for the purchase of flour through the Benazir Income Support Program to the deserving families so as to stop such tragedies.
Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori sought report of the incident from Karachi Commissioner. Sindh Chief Minister also took notice of the incident.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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