ISLAMABAD: Relevant government departments, including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Rawalpindi district management, failed to take any preemptive measure despite heavy snowfall warnings issued days prior to the disaster in Murree which claimed 22 lives. No prior meeting was called by the NDMA with the district administrations of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other departments to discuss traffic and accommodation issues in the hill station. The Met Office had issued alert on Jan 5 that heavy snowfall may cause road closures in Murree, Galiyat, Nathiagali, Kaghan, Naran and other areas from Jan 6 to Jan 9 afternoon. “All authorities concerned are particularly…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
RAWALPINDI: Commissioner Syed Gulzar Hussain Shah on Saturday said the administration would clear all choked points in Murree and adjoining areas by removing snow to normalise traffic on Sunday (today). Talking to Dawn, he said the tragedy in which 22 people lost their lives occurred on roads toward the Galliyat. However, the road between Murree and Islamabad was opened. Some points, especially towards the Galliyat, received heavy snowfall which would be cleared soon. He said at present tourists in Murree have taken shelter in hotels and guest houses and the government has also opened its rest houses for them. The administration stopped entry…
MITHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed has emphasised the need for providing basic rights to the residents of Thar. He was addressing lawyers during a luncheon hosted in his honour by the Tharparkar Bar Association on Saturday. The CJP said Thar had a great potential for religious tourism and urged the authorities concerned to make concerted efforts to promote religious tourism in the area. Justice Ahmed asked the people of Tharparkar district to file petitions in the apex court and other legal forums for resolution of their core problems and issues. He said he was glad to have visited…
ISLAMABAD: As infections by Covid-19 have continuously been on the rise since the emergence of Omicron variant, Pakistan on Saturday reported the highest number of cases since Oct 6. The national positivity rate has reached almost three per cent. The representative body of the medical fraternity, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), has claimed that the cases of Delta variant are also increasing. It suggested that the government should strictly ensure implementation of SOPs (standard operating procedures) and impose heavy fines on violators to avoid chances of a lockdown. The data of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed that as…
KHUZDAR: The younger brother of Senate Chairman Mir Sadiq Sanjrani was killed in a road accident on Quetta-Karachi National Highway, near the Uthal area of Lasbela district, on Saturday evening. Police said Salar Khan Sanjrani was going to Quetta from Karachi when his car collided with an oil tanker coming from opposite direction. Driver Younus Shah died on the spot, while Salar Sanjrani suffered serious injuries. Salar Sanjrani was taken to district hospital, Uthal, and after initial treatment he was referred to Karachi, but he succumbed to his injuries on way to Karachi. Balochistan Governor Syed Zahoor Agha, Chief Minister…
Officials on Sunday continued to work on clearing snow from roads in and around Murree a day after 22 people, including women and children, died in their vehicles trapped by heavy snowfall. In a tweet, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill said that all major arteries to Murree had been cleared for traffic. “Around 600 to 700 cars were evacuated from the area last night,” he said, adding that Rawalpindi police, the district administration and Pakistan Army soldiers worked through the night. “Police officials are present on the roads leading to Murree from Islamabad and Rawalpindi.…
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Holding the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) government responsible for the deaths of tourists in Murree, the opposition on Saturday accused Prime Minister Imran Khan and his aides of victim blaming and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. Among those demanding a judicial probe was one of the main allies of the government both in the Centre and Punjab — the PML-Q — to fix responsibility for the deaths of tourists. At least 22 people died in their cars on Saturday while being stranded in snow in Murree amid a tourist influx into the hill station. Thousands of cars loaded with…
The shocking news of death of tourists in Murree has left the entire nation in deep grief and pain after at least 23 people froze to death in cars stranded in snowstorm on Saturday. A number of renowned Pakistani celebrities and prominent personalities took to the social media and expressed their shock to the tragic news. Taking to Twitter, celebrities including actors Saba Qamar, Faysal Quraishi, model Nadia Hussain and singer Meesha Shafi offered prayers and condolences to the victims’ families. Cricketer Shoaib Malik, Hassan Ali and TV actor Usman Mukhtar also shared the news and prayed for the deceased.…
Demi Lovato is progressing towards a healthy lifestyle. The 29-year-old singer has recently completed a rehabilitation program, after which they have returned home. As per PEOPLE the Grammy Award nominee, 29 has been taking enrolling in various programs that help them maintain sobriety after 2018 drug overdose. “Demi is committed to their well-being, and throughout their life, they plan to do regular check-ins to make sure they are putting themselves first,” the insider says. Demi went to rehab for the first time in late 2010 before their fatal drug overdose incident. In their YouTube docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing with the…
Days after “Matrix Resurrection” premiered, supermodel Bella Hadid shared behind-the-scene photos from the shoot of “Matrix trilogy. The photo show Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss filming in front of a green screen for the film. Bella shared the photos without explaining whether the scenes without special effects surprised her or she was mocking the movie. Sci-fi franchise The Matrix returned for a fourth film with Keanu Reeves reprising his role as kung fu-kicking, shades-wearing hero Neo. Lana Wachowski returned to write, direct and produce the latest installment of the hugely popular series about humans trapped in a virtual reality by…
