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Murree tragedy
The gallant Pakistan Army jumps into action once again. Swiftly responds to the cries of the marooned tourists of Murree, one of country’s most picturesque hill stations, with unparalleled sense of duty.
The catastrophe that hit Murree, one of country’s most picturesque hill stations and summer resorts, on January 8, has no parallel in this resorts recent history. The profoundly heavy snowfall completely shattered the plans of the holidaymakers who had flocked the resort, in huge numbers, to enjoy the snowfall. Sadly, the more than normal snowfall in the area instead of becoming a captivating sight for the visitors to watch and enjoy, became a nightmare for them. It took a heavy toll on the marooned joy seekers. Some 25 men, women and children sadly lost their precious life in the tragedy.
Could this catastrophe be avoided? Yes, it could have been avoided had the government machinery acted proactively, with a sense of responsibility. I wouldn’t like to get into the nitty-gritty of the issues vis-à-vis the tragedy, as they are already being incessantly debated in the national media, the social mediay and every other forum. What, however, I would like to highlight here is the role that the Pakistan Army has played and is still playing to salvage the affected people.
In this hour of profound crisis and grief, Pakistan’s gallant Army promptly came to the rescue of the stranded people. They could be seen actively engaged in distributing food among the starving men, women and children, and clearing the snow laden roads to pave way for the troubled people to return to their abodes safely.
The Pakistan Army has always stood by the people of this country, in their times of need, like a rock. The nation holds its Army in high esteem. Bravo Pakistan Army! Pakistan Army Zindabad!
M FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad
*****
My whole Sunday remained unpleasant as I read the headline of the Pakistan Observer early in the morning. “22 snow tourists freeze to death in Murree.” These words were really heart-wrenching for me. The unfortunate tourists, including 10 children, stranded in their vehicles and at last succumbed to the extreme weather during a snow storm in Murree on Friday. Now the federal government has deployed personnel of the Pakistan Army and other civil defence forces for rescue operations in Murree following the recent tragedy. I salute to my Army, which is doing best for evacuating stranded tourists.
We all know the current situation of weather is very harsh across the country. Cold has prevailed everywhere. Murree is already one of the coldest regions of Pakistan. So, it has witnessed extreme snowfall.
Despite being aware of weather condition, the visitors started going to Murree along with their families to observe rainfall and blizzard. When they reached there, unexpected snow and cold trapped them. Their vehicles were covered by snow. They could not save theirselves from death.
Although the Met Office had warned about ongoing extreme weather on January 5, the local management did not adopt safety measures in order to stop visitors from entering Murree. If the authorities concerned had taken precautionary actions and had blocked calamity-hit Murree for hundreds of thousands of travellers, the awful incident would not have taken place.
NAEEM UR REHMAAN
Karachi
From a tourist spot to a tourist trap
Murree is a tourist hotspot in winters, most of the time easily approachable for the people of twin cities in particular. However, in winters people from all around Pakistan visit the town to witness the snow covered white beauty of nature. It’s always nice to see the colours of nature and admire it but unfortunately this time tourists have witnessed the colours of people in the time of calamity.
Instead of penning down the story of insensitive nature of people around along with deaf ear management. It’s time to reiterate and to ingrain humanity and hospitality among people and educate them for that too as a need of time. It’s also significant to mention that it’s not for the first time that tourists confronted peak prices in Murree, it always happens but this time it got highlighted due to the consequent deaths.
Despite poor management, the insensitivity of the people who are always known for their hospitable nature is also alarming. In order to avoid such mishaps in future, it’s better to make these places safe to attract the foreign and local tourists rather than making these places tourist traps !
NAUSHABA ABID
Islamabad
Understanding Mother Nature
The recent snowstorm in Pakistan’s Murree that had killed over 23 people has caught the international attention.
First off, it seems that many innocent people were not aware of the ongoing snowfall spell out there in the Murree area in months like January.
Authorities should have alerted them to impending danger ahead. Remember, Asian countries like Pakistan, Nepal and India have been tucked in the middle of the beautiful Himalayan range.
The East or the West, Mother Nature has been giving numerous gifts to the world especially in the form of rain that will enrich earth and hence humanity. On the other hand, it is important to keep tabs on rough weather patterns.
Withstanding weather conditions like flooding and sometimes droughts, people in my native areas like Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu have been cultivating crops and working hard in their fields.
Quite amazingly, be it the sky or earth, the whole universe has been acting like a safety net, providing natural gifts like rain and sunlight to humans. Added to this, understanding Mother Nature and safeguarding Mother Earth will help prevent erratic behaviour of Nature in future.
That said, keeping the environment clean and encouraging green activities like tree planting are all the steps in the right direction towards saving Mother Earth.
P SENTHIL S DURAI
Maharashtra, India
