Lahore: While completing its Murree tragedy investigation report, an inquiry committee has suggested a grand operation against illegal constructions, buildings, plazas and hotels in the hilly resort.

According to the privacy sources, a five-member inquiry committee, formed by the Punjab government to find reasons for the happening of the Murree tragedy in which at least 22 tourists died, has completed its preliminary report on Sunday. 

The committee has given a shape of draft to its findings. The inquiry committee will present its report to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tomorrow. 

As per sources, the committee finds many reasons of Murree tragedy. “The roads leading to Murree should have been closed after three days of snowfall. But they were shut after five days,” the report said. 

The report also pointed that the snow removing machinery sat there but the operators were nowhere to be seen, adding that the PMD had not issued any official notice or alert regarding storms. It also noticed that the Metrological Office warning was also ignored.

The committee suggested that a grand operation against illegal constructions, hotels and plazas be launched and the administration seal the hotels which do not provide car park facilities.

Soon after the Murree tragedy, the Punjab government constituted an inquiry committee to determine causes and lapses in Murree.

According to the notification issued by the Punjab government, the high-level inquiry committee will be headed by Additional Chief Secretary to Punjab Government Zafar Nasarullah while Ali Sarfraz, Asad Gillani and Farooq Mazhar will be members of the probe body.

The notification also stated that the committee had been directed to submit its report within seven days and identify the elements involved in negligence.

“The committee would determine those responsible for the Murree tragedy and investigate whether the government agencies had taken any joint action despite the stern warning of the Meteorological Department or not.”

It further said that the committee will also investigate why vehicles were not stopped in Islamabad to prevent entry into Murree and Galyat.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed grief at the tragic deaths of stranded tourists in Murree, ordering an inquiry and regulations to avert such tragedies in the future.

On his official twitter handle, the Premier wrote that heavy snowfall and a huge rush of tourists caught the district administration unprepared.

“Shocked & upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree.  Unprecedented snowfall & rush of ppl (people) proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared. Have ordered inquiry & putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies,” he posted.

Doha: A three-week-old baby has died from COVID-19 in Qatar, the health ministry said on Sunday, reporting a rare child fatality from the illness in the Gulf country.

"A three-week-old baby has sadly died as a result of severe infection from COVID-19," the emirate's public health ministry said in a statement.

"The baby had no other known medical or hereditary conditions", and was the second child to have died in the country since the pandemic began, it added.

Child deaths from COVID-19 are infrequent but health authorities in several countries have registered a rise in childhood infections since the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Qatari ministry said youngsters have generally been less at risk of severe COVID infection than older people, but that "a greater number of children are being infected in this current wave and needing medical care than in previous waves".

Gas-rich Qatar has officially recorded almost 300,000 cases of coronavirus and around 600 deaths, from 2.6 million residents.

Cases have surged in recent weeks, and in late December Qatar's main health care provider suspended leave for all medical and administrative staff dealing with COVID-19 cases.

SOURCE: AFP

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to visit Haripur today (Monday) to perform the groundbreaking of Pakistan Digital City Special Technology Zone project, the country’s first such venture.

The prime minister will be accompanied by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, federal and provincial ministers.

The Pakistan Digital City project will be completed at a cost of Rs1.31 billion and scattered over 86 kanals of land.

Pakistan Digital City Haripur is a flagship project of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government being launched to provide all facilities to the IT industry in one place.

The project aims to serve as a state-of-the-art facility to enable collaborations and innovation amongst academia, research, industry and planners from within country and abroad.

It will benefit other allied industries like electronics, software houses, mobile phone industry, technology incubators, and computer industry in the province.

Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan had inaugurated Lahore Technopolis, a special technology zone, to create jobs and boost Pakistan’s tech exports.