Tahir Yousuf, a Mirpurkhas resident who suffered serious injuries in the Tezgam train fire, said that the Pakistan Railways had not lived up to its promise of paying for the treatment of those who had been wounded in the accident.
Speaking to Geo News, Yousuf said he suffered injuries to his head and back. "I have only had one operation so far," he said. "All promises that the government made, it hasn't fulfilled them."
Yousuf said that his parents were bearing the expenses for his costly treatment out of their pocket. "I am being treated at home. It includes physiotherapy. We are paying for surgeons and medicines by ourselves."
He said that the government had provided him Rs50,000 only on account of insurance but had failed to fulfill other promises made to him.
"Sheikh Rashid assured us that the government will not leave us [victims] alone till our treatment did not see its end," he said. "He gave us assurances and then left us alone. He didn't even turn back to look after us once."
Yousuf said that he still had to undergo one operation and that he sustained three fractures on his leg.
Pakistan Railways Chief Executive Officer Dost Muhammad Leghari on Wednesday revealed that the Tezgram inferno which killed over 70 passengers in October last year, occurred due to a short circuit in the kitchen.
Read more:Tezgam inferno was caused by a short circuit, says Railways CEO
While talking to Geo News, the official revealed that the twelfth coach of the Tezgam Express caught fire due to a short circuit in the wire of an electric kettle. He added that the coach was supplied electricity illegally from another coach.
Leghari revealed that cylinder blast took place after the fire engulfed the coach. The chief executive officer revealed that this was brought to the attention of the railways ministry after an inquiry was conducted into the accident.
Previously, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid had said that the fire had been caused by the explosion of gas cylinders which were brought aboard the train by some passengers.
Read more:Tezgam incident eyewitness disputes Sheikh Rasheed's statement on cylinder blast
Multan Division Superintendent Amir Mohammad Daud, along with six others from Karachi and Sukkur division were removed from their posts a few days after the inferno.
Those suspended include Junaid Aslam, an officer from Karachi Division, Assistant Commercial Officer of Sukkur Division Abid Qamar Sheikh, Rashid Ali of Sukkur Division and Ahsanul Haq of Karachi Division after initial inquiry. Additionally, two police officials of Grade-17 including deputy superintendent Dilawar Memon and Habibullah Khattak deputy superintendent Karachi Railways Police have been suspended.