- Sharif visits house of two victims of park tragedy in Sahiwal, hands over compensation cheques to heirs
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif went to the house of two victims of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park tragedy in Sahiwal’s Chak No 86/6-R, after another woman succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, taking the death toll from Sunday’s suicide bombing to 75.
The deadly attack claimed the lives of two members, 55-year-old Sakina Bibi, a widow, and two-year-old Javeria, of this Sahiwal household.
The CM announced a government job for Sakina’s daughter, Moazma, and gave her an assistance cheque of Rs 2 million. He also gave a cheque of financial assistance of Rs 1 million to the heirs of Javeria and offered fateha for the departed souls.
As many as 30 members of the family were also injured in the blast.
The seriously injured are under treatment in various hospitals of Lahore while those who had received minor injuries have returned to their homes.
CM Sharif announced free treatment of two ailing children and an elderly woman of the family, and said the Punjab government would bear all expenses on their treatment. He also issued necessary instructions to the Sahiwal division commissioner in this regard.
CM Sharif consoled Sakina Bibi’s daughter Moazma and assured that the Punjab government would look after her family.
Talking to members of the family, Sharif said that the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park blast was a tragic incident in which terrorists targeted daughters, mothers, sisters and sons of the nation but they would have to account for their barbarity.
He said that the brutal elements that shed the blood of innocent people would not escape punishment. He said the park bombing incident grieved the whole nation and the sacrifices of the martyrs would not go to waste, adding that this tragedy has further strengthened the resolve of the nation against terrorism.
The chief minister said that Pakistan would be made a haven of peace and terrorists would be brought to their logical end. He said that terrorism and extremism were not the destiny of Pakistan, adding that no effort would be spared for rooting out terrorism and victory in the war against terrorism would be of the 18 crore Pakistanis.
Separately, British High Commissioner Thomas Drew met Chief Minister Sharif expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park tragedy.
Condemning the bombing, the high commissioner expressed condolences and sympathies with the bereaved families.
Sharif told Drew that the park tragedy was the worst incident of the history and the entire Pakistani nation had once again united for coping with terrorism. He said that terrorism was a common problem of the world and it had to be dealt with jointly. He said there was no room for extremism and terrorism in Pakistan.
He said that all-out energies would be utilised for making Quaid’s Pakistan a haven of peace.
Drew on the occasion said that Britain was with the Punjab government and its people in this hour of grief and their fight against terrorism.
