Twenty-three people lost their lives trapped in their cars by a heavy snowfall in Murree last week. What the tourists as well as outraged Pakistani people and opposition parties had been saying from day one of the tragedy being reported has now been found to be the truth. The failure of the state authorities to prepare for a tragedy that could have been avoided. According to the preliminary findings of the probe, it has been reported that 20 of the 29 machinery and snowmobiles had failed to respond promptly to avert the crisis. In fact, the four-member committee formed by the Punjab government to investigate into the matter mentioned that some of the rescues officials who were supposed to be deployed at the location were napping instead.
Nothing can point to a state’s apathy towards human lives than its inactiveness to prepare for a crisis situation. And the initial findings of the reports only points to it. The Met Office had given several warnings about the hill station experiencing a severe snowstorm that would block roads. But despite it, there has been no report of whether the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) held any meetings to discuss a strategy to minimize the risk. The probe also revealed that drivers and other staff were also found to be absent from their duty. Were they not informed about the situation and asked to be alert through the period of the snowstorm in Murree?
On the other hand, survivor accounts mention that no one at the entrance check-post of the resort town had stopped them from moving ahead despite thousands of cars already choking the route. Some also state that their SOS messages were only responded to after over 12 hours of being sent, pointing at failures of the relief operations and administration. All this while the federal government and the opposition parties point fingers at each other over the tragedy with the Punjab chief minister ‘promising strict action’ against those found guilty. And as per routine, low-level staff will be removed from their jobs as the ones in power move on with business as usual. But if the state truly values human lives and wants to revive tourism in the country as it claims, it must devise a strategy to cope with likely challenges posed by natural calamities. All efforts should be made to ensure that the Murree tragedy isn’t repeated.
