Dr Fowzia Siddique of Global Aafia Movement said in a statement here on Sunday that defective gas cylinders in vehicles are deathtraps for innocent people and the government should take stern measures to devise and implement vehicles fitness testing system to ensure safety of precious lives of people.
Referring to the sad mishap where 16 innocent schoolchildren and a teacher were burned alive when a school van caught fire near Gujrat due to leakage of cylinder gas the previous day, she said it was no less than a national tragedy, but still the country’s administration was in deep slumber regarding the issue. The loss of loved ones in preventable accidents was unbearable and catastrophic, she added.
She further said if such a catastrophe had happened in any civilised country its administrative bosses would have resigned and faced court trial, but here in Pakistan this huge human loss was being accepted as a trivial daily life matter. These precious lives could not be brought back but we have to prevent any further incidents from happening or we would all be held responsible for all the loss, she added.
Dr Siddiqui said that everyone should remember those innocent victims, adding that a candlelight vigil was arranged by Global Aafia Movement at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) Saturday night, where a large number of schoolchildren and human rights activists lit candles to remember the innocent victims of Gujrat school van tragedy.
Further, she said the whole nation was in a state of shock and grief due to the Gujrat incident. She said it was the height of negligence that a preventable vehicle fitness issue was neglected and it took so many innocent lives. She also said that installation of substandard CNG cylinders in vehicles and blatant violation of vehicle inspection rules had converted most vehicles into “live bombs on wheels”.
Moreover, she said in Pakistan fake vehicle fitness was made for a few hundred rupees which was a cruel joke being played with human life. She in past may such mishaps had already taken place and now the Gujrat tragedy had once again proved that the nation was indifferent. These kids could have been anybody’s kids, they could have been ours, she added.
She hoped that the coming set of rulers after sitting in assemblies would pass effective laws so as to prevent the loss of innocent lives in such brazen road accidents.
