Pakistan's NDMA responsible for Murree tragedy, says Islamabad HC

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reprimanded the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and said it is responsible for the Murree tragedy which claimed the lives of 23 people, local media reported.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing of petition filed by Hammad Abbasi, a Murree resident, that sought action against those responsible for the tragedy, Geo News reported.

Abbasi said he went to Murree on January 7 and that when tourists were going to the hill station, neither were they stopped and nor were they warned of the danger, Geo News reported.

According to the Pakistani publication, the IHC Chief Justice called a member of the NDMA to the rostrum and asked him when the last meeting of the NDMC was held. At this, the official told the court that a meeting took place on February 21, 2013, and the last meeting was held on March 28, 2018.

After hearing the NDMA member's response, Justice Minallah question to the commission and said, "It is a powerful body. How come no meeting took place since 2018."

The justice also told the NDMA member that his authority was responsible for the disaster and they could not shift the blame on anyone else, Geo News reported.

Notably, at least 23 people died in Pakistan's Murree after their vehicles were stranded following heavy snowfall overnight.

( With inputs from ANI )

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