PTI demands judicial probe of fire incident

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also announced three days of mourning on the national tragedy.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi, President Javed Hashmi, Secretary General Dr Arif Alvi and Information Secretary Shafqat Mahmood expressed their condolences with the families of the unfortunate victims of the incident in Karachi.

The fire that killed over 300 and injured many others was disastrous and of enormous proportions, and it needed to be seriously investigated, they said.

The PTI leaders showed concerns over the presence of unsafe factory conditions and lack of planned emergency exits.

They said the Sindh government should be taken to task for being ignorant of the unsafe working environment in factories, an FIR registered against the owners and their properties confiscated to compensate the victim families, and the authorities be held accountable.

The injured must be provided immediate and adequate medical assistance to avoid any further loss of life, the party demanded.

The PTI chairman expressed shock and grief over the tragedy. He also prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.

Javed Hashmi, expressing grief over the tragic incident, held the Sindh labour department, the city government and civil defence responsible for the incident. He said that despite collecting taxes, the authorities did not provide protection to labourers.

Addressing a meeting of workers of the party on Wednesday here, Hashmi demanded that a judicial inquiry be constituted to investigate the cause of the fire and those involved given exemplary punishment.

ANP expresses sorrow

Leaders of Awami National Party (ANP) also expressed deep sorrow over the tragic fire incident.

ANP leader Asfandar Yar Wali and Senator Shahi Syed in their statements demanded a high-level inquiry and punishment for those responsible so that such incidents did not happen again anywhere in Pakistan.

Former provincial labour minister Amir Nawab Khan along with other leaders of the ANP Sindh visited the factory on Wednesday. The ANP asked its workers to offer Fateha and recite the Holy Quran for the victims of fires in Karachi and Lahore.