GM claims report clears Aman Foundation in Amal Umer death case

Leading charitable organization The Aman Foundation has expressed appreciation with the investigative hearings process and the resulting report produced by a committee constituted by the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Amal Umer murder case.

On August 13, 2018, Amal was killed when a policeman fired a bullet attempting to kill a robber, who had looted her family a few minutes earlier in Karachi’s Akhtar Colony area as they waited at a traffic light to attend a concert on the eve of Independence Day. The committee which was set up to investigate the death of Amal Umar submitted its report to the Supreme Court a few days ago.

The report was submitted by a six-member committee, which includes AD Khawaja, the former Inspector-General of the Sindh Police, and is headed by Justice (retd) Khilji Arif Hussain.

In relation to the report, Aman Foundation’s General Manager and spokesperson Khaqan Sikander noted with gratitude the report by the esteemed committee. He regretted that a lot of fake news was spread around the events of the tragic death of Amal.

“The esteemed committee, within the hearings and otherwise, concluded clearly that Aman Ambulances were not responsible for Amal’s death. Hence, the news being circulated by certain sections of the media that Aman has admitted its negligence or has been found responsible and other similar mis-statements are factually incorrect, misleading and unwarranted in the facts of this case, which are on record. The Aman Foundation reiterates that the findings of the committee are clear that Aman Ambulances were not responsible for Amal’s death,” Sikander said.

“Our internationally recognized systems have helped us save more than 1 million lives in the last decade only and we are committed to serving the public in the best manner possible. Furthermore, as a professional organization involved in public service, we are always open to improving our service delivery standards and have expressed this commitment in relation to Amal’s case as well,” he added.

Mr Sikander explained that Aman Foundation is a non-profit organization and currently operating with merely 60 life-saving ambulances while Karachi requires a minimum of 200 (as per WHO guidelines) ambulances.

“The current deficit in the required number of life-saving ambulances means that at any given time there is only one ambulance available for nine life-threatening emergencies. As a private not-for-profit organization offering this critical public service, we are constantly fighting the battle to save the maximum number of lives with our limited resources.”

Talking to Geo Morning Show Host Abdullah Sultan, Mr Sikander stated that, “understanding that it is the need of the hour, in a positive sign, the Government of Sindh (GoS) has committed to fund our current ambulance fleet and also to increase the number of ambulances to 200 by the end of this year under a public-private framework.”

He further said, “we await execution on this commitment by the Sindh Government as it will prove to be a landmark step for the provisions of emergency medical services for the people of Karachi and will help reduce response times and increase availability of critical emergency ambulance services so that tragic cases like Amal’s can be avoided in the future.”

He concluded: “Our thoughts and prayers remain with Amal and her family. We have been and will continue to be committed to serving the people of Pakistan.”