ISLAMABAD: Punjab government has formed a committee to probe the Murree tragedy in which about 22 tourists, including women and children, lost their lives in freezing weather on Friday night.
According to a notification issued today, Additional Chief Secretary Home Zafar Nasrullah has been appointed as the convener of the committee while provincial secretaries Ali Sarfaraz and Asad Gilani and Assistant Inspector General Farooq Mazhar have been made member of this body.
The notification also listed the terms of reference under which the committee will operate.
The committee had been directed to submit its report to the Punjab the provincial government in seven days.
According to these terms, the committee will ascertain which government departments were responsible for the crisis situation that unfolded in Murree.
The committee will also examine the measures which were taken to control the influx of visitors and vehicles.
Additionally, the committee will look into what precautionary measures were taken by institutions in the wake of weather advisory issued by the Met Office on Jan 5, two days before the tragedy occurred. It will determine whether a warning was run on media to dissuade people from travelling to the tourist destination.
Furthermore, the committee will also probe what traffic control measures were taken amid the snowstorm and after reports of the adverse weather conditions were received, what safety measures were implemented.
It may be noted that on Saturday noon, the Murree tragedy hit the social and electronic media in the country. On the night of Friday about 21 people lost their lives whose cars were stuck up in traffic jam caused by snowstorm in Murree and its adjoining tourists resorts.
On Saturday evening, the rescue officials have cleared roads and cars stuck up in traffic jam under snow and shifted all the stranded people safer places.
