The government of Pakistan's Punjab province has set up a five-member committee to probe the killing of 22 tourists in Murree on Saturday, while the ban on visiting Murree and Galyat will remain in force till Monday evening.
It is to be noted that 22 tourists who were trapped in vehicles lost their lives during heavy snowfall in the mountain resort Murree.
According to the list released by Rescue 1122, the dead included 10 men, two women and 10 children. Most of the deaths occurred in four vehicles stranded on the road in the Kaldana area.
They include Islamabad police officer Naveed Iqbal and eight members of his family, as well as four relatives from Mardan and seven members of another family.
The committee will look into whether the relevant departments, including the district administration and the police, had come up with a joint action plan despite the bad weather forecast by the Meteorological Department.
The committee will also look into why tourists from Galyat and Islamabad were not stopped at entry points when the number of vehicles in Murree was exceeding the capacity. The committee will also look into the cause of the accident as well as the effectiveness of the rescue operation.
On Sunday evening, Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that the ban on going to Murree and Galyat via Islamabad would remain in force for another 24 hours, ie till Monday evening, during which only residents of the area would be allowed to check their identity cards. Passage will be allowed later.
The research team will find answers to which eight questions?
This investigative committee will look into possible answers to these eight questions:
The Meteorological Department issued several warnings regarding Murree, yet did the concerned departments formulate a joint action plan?
Were travel tips issued via electronic, print or social media?
Has any policy been formulated to handle such a large number of vehicles and tourists?
When the rush in Murree exceeded the limit, why were the vehicles not stopped at the entrances to Islamabad and Murree?
Were there any plans in advance to deal with the emergency?
Have hotels and guesthouses been instructed to shelter stranded people?
What were the details of the rescue operation when the blizzard came? Were people evacuated in a timely manner?
What were the reasons that led to this tragedy?
