The Mina Tragedy

With the passage of each day in the aftermath of the heart-wrenching tragedy at Mina the situation is assuming monumental proportions. Determining the reasons of this unfortunate happening may require time and it is better to wait for the final report of the inquiry ordered by the Saudi King. However, there is no doubt that the response to the tragedy left a lot to be desired. The number of deaths is rising and information about hundreds of people who are missing and the condition of those who are injured is hard to come. Here, in Pakistan the family members of those who died, injured or are missing and who are not in a position financially to go to Mecca are in a state of shock and helplessness with no government department or agency coming forward to help them in any way. It was really inhumane on the part of the Minister of Hajj, PM Advisor on law and Maulana Fazal-Ur Rahman to attend the grand reception hosted by the Saudi King instead of personally managing the aftermath of the tragedy. The right step would have been for the prime minister or at least the foreign minister to rush from the USA to Mecca  and provide succor to those affected according to their needs and the needs of their families in Pakistan as the case may be by coordinating with the Saudi authorities. It is time that the federal government rise from its criminal slumber of negligence and act immediately by empowering some government department or agency to contact the affected families and provide help and assistance according to their needs.

Tasneem Hameed