ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Thursday admitted that the response to the fire incident in Mehar Taluka of Dadu district in which nine people were burnt alive was very slow, and strict action will be taken against those whose negligence caused this incident.

Talking to reporters outside Accountability Court, he said that the fire brigade vehicle of the nearest municipality to the village was out of order due to which fire tenders were mobilized from other areas. “I admit that the response of the administration was very slow and whoever was held responsible will be punished,” he said, adding that immediate relief was provided to the affectees.

He said that he himself visited the area and listened to the grievance of the people. He said that he has directed the chief secretary to constitute an inquiry committee and he has set up an inquiry committee headed by the home secretary. He also announced that the government will rebuild all the houses destroyed by fire.

People whose livestock was burnt alive during the fire and the villagers who have lost all their belongings, as well as, grain will be compensated, he said, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced a compensation of Rs10 million for the affected families.

About the energy crises, he said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has held a meeting in this regard. According to information, at the moment 7,000 to 8,000 MWs electricity generation capacity is not operational due to non-availability of required fuel to power houses as the previous government did not purchase the fuel, he said.

He said that the solution of the current energy crises is a challenging task for the federal and the provincial governments. However, he hoped that the experienced team of the coalition government would handle the crisis.

To a question, he said that earlier, former Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that his government was toppled through a foreign-funded conspiracy while yesterday his former spokesman (without naming Fawad Chaudhry) said that his government was ousted as its ties with the ‘Establishment’ became strained. “Incompetence and failure to provide relief to the public was the main reason of toppling of the PTI government”, he said.

Shah said that Imran Khan is the man who does not need anyone to refute his statements as he himself contradicts his own statements time to time. “They are collecting Rs100 donation from each participant of a jalsa and he himself uses chartered plane for attending public gatherings”, he said.

Chief Minister Sindh said that whenever elections will be held, Imran Khan’s party will fail miserably.

Earlier, he and other accused appeared before the Accountability Court-III judge Syed Asghar Ali in illegal award of contracts in Sindh Nooriabad Power Companies (SPNC-I and SPNC-II) case. Co-accused Hassan Raza Abbasi and Shadia Jaffer did not appear before the court due to illness. The defence counsel produced medical report of Abbasi and Shadia Jaffer before court.

Wasim Javed, prosecutor National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Hammad Kamal, investigation officer (IO) NAB, and Arshad Tabraiz, counsel for the accused appeared before the court.

The prosecutor NAB submitted a report regarding proclamation of the accused, Muhammad Ali, and he sought time to submit comments on the acquittal application of accused Sultan Farooq Ahmad and Masood Naqvi.

Accused Muhammad Sohail Khan and Khalid Mehmood also field acquittal applications before the court.

The court granted time to the NAB and decided that the applications will be taken up after the NAB submits its reply. The court adjourned hearing of the case till May 30.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022