MQM, PTI announce three days of mourning

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday announced three days of mourning over the tragic deaths of 295 workers in the Baldia Town factory fire.

The decision was taken in a joint meeting of the Coordination Committee in London and Pakistan on Wednesday. The meeting termed the horrific incident a national tragedy and decided to suspend all organisational activities of the party in order to concentrate on relief activities, said a statement.

The meeting also decided that gatherings would be held for offering Fateha and recitation of the Holy Quran for people who perished in Karachi and Lahore fires of Tuesday. Black armbands would be worn by the workers and black flags waved at all party offices.

The Coordination Committee also decided that the Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation of the MQM would make arrangements for transporting the mortal remains of the workers to their ancestral places in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and interior Sindh, besides Karachi.

It also directed the office-bearers and workers of the party to take part in the funerals of the unfortunate factory workers and share the grief and sorrow of the mourning families.

The Coordination Committee appealed to President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad, and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to announce compensation for the grief-stricken families, who lost their loved ones in the inferno. It demanded a high-level inquiry and said stern action should be taken against the people responsible for the horrific deaths of the workers.

It also expressed deep grief and sorrow over the deaths caused by a fire in a factory in Lahore. It demanded of Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Ahmed Khosa and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to hold an inquiry and announce compensation for the affected people.

Meanwhile, MQM founder Altaf Hussain said that the perishing of a large number of workers in the fire in the Baldia Town factory was a big national tragedy.

He said that he was "sorely distressed" by the tragic incident. Talking to the members of the Coordination Committee Pakistan, he said that he could equally feel the pain and sorrow of the mourning families of the victims, who included women, children, youths and elders.

Hussain asked the committee, and office-bearers and workers of the MQM to take full part in the funeral and burial of the deceased. He also asked them to share the grief of the bereaved families and sympathise with them. He appealed to the philanthropic and charitable people to help the affected families in every possible manner as the workers belonged to the poor working class.