The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Saturday disposed of an application filed by an advocate requesting it to take notice of the Clifton beach tragedy. Advocate Muhammad Nadeem Shaikh, president of Justice Helpline Pakistan, addressed an application to the SHC Chief Justice, urging him to initiate legal proceedings against relevant authorities for their failure to devise a contingency plan or a standard operating procedure (SOP) that resulted in the loss of lives.
In a one-page letter, Shaikh submitted that had the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Cantonment Board, Police, Deputy Commissioner and other relevant authorities devised an emergency plan for Karachi beaches, such tragedy could have been averted. He requested the court to initiate proceedings in the matter and order action against officials responsible so that such incidents could be prevented in the future. SHC Acting Chief Justice Faisal Arab disposed of the application while directing the applicant to file a constitutional petition and underline the causes of the tragedy and suggest measures to avert it in future.