RAWALPINDI: Amid heart-rending scenes, an ill-fated family of six from Rawalpindi who lost their lives in the Murree blizzard tragedy were laid to rest on Sunday.
According to M.M News, thousands of people attended the funeral prayers held at Curry Road in the garrison town. The deaths of 22 tourists, including women and children who had flocked to the scenic spot to witness the snowfall, were nothing short of a tragedy.
Shahzad Ismail along with his wife Saima and four children – 10-year-old Samiullah, eight-year-old Habibullah, seven-year-old Ayesha and five-year-old Iqra – wanted to spend some quality family time at Murree, but fate had something else in store for them.
As the bodies of the family members arrived at Curry Road, it was difficult to find anyone without teary eyes. The relatives of the victims termed the incident “will of God”.
After the funeral prayer, a member of the victim’s family told MM News that their heart was shedding tears of blood. The family’s relative held incumbent government responsible for Murree tragedy, saying that the local government failed to take measures to protect the precious lives.
Speaking to MM News on the occasion, Citizen Action Leader Malik Zaheer Awan termed the incident ‘a government failure’. “Unfortunately, we have law of the jungle,” Malik Zaheer said, adding that action should be taken against all those responsible.
“The Meteorological Department had already warned of extreme weather. Why the warning was unheeded? Government ministers were happy that tourism was booming, they should be ashamed, there is no planning,” he added.
Funeral prayers of the family were held in their native town, attended by a large number of people including members of provincial and national assembly and other prominent personalities.
