Chief Justice Athar Miallah has sought report from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and adjourned hearing for a week.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Jan 13th, 2022) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday expressed serious concerns over poor performance of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), observing that it is responsible for the Murree tragedy.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah gave these remarks while hearing a petition filed by Hammad Abbasi, a Murree resident, who had asked for action against those responsible for the tragedy.
As many as 23 people, including children, died in Murree last week as heavy snow hit the hill station, turning family vacations into a tragedy.
Petitioner Abbasi said that he went to Murree on January 7 and that nobody was there to stop the public from going to the hill station despite that heavy snow was taking place there.
During the proceedings, IHC CJ called a member of the NDMA to the rostrum and asked him when the last meeting of the NDMC was held. On it, the official said that a meeting took place on February 21, 2013 and later a meeting was held on March 28, 2018.
At this, CJ Minallah observed that all concerned people were part of the commission. "It is a powerful body. How come no meeting took place since 2018," asked the IHC CJ.
The CJ also asked the NDMA member whether a letter had been written to the Opposition leader to call a meeting of the commission. On it, the official said the Opposition leader had not asked them to call a meeting.
The CJ further asked him, "Could there be a more powerful body than this? Has the DG NDMA once written a letter to the government and informed them that if a calamity occurs, we will be responsible for it?".
CJ Minallah also observed, "You have failed, it was your responsibility to call a meeting, you were responsible for providing a national management plan to the area,".
The CJ remarked that NDMA could not shift the blame on others, observing that it was its responsibility to call meetings and to ensure enforcement of law.
Justice Minallah observed that had the NDMA ensured that everyone followed the law, such incidents would not have happened. "Everyone wants to make speeches, but no one follows the law."
He said, "Everyone included in the [commission] and the entire state is responsible,". The court also sought report from the NDMA member and adjourned further hearing till Friday.
