KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Sunday that the lone helicopter of the Sindh government could not be dispatched to the Shah Noorani shrine to rescue the victims of the Saturday blast as it could not fly in darkness.

“The helicopter is of old technology which could only be utilised in daylight. However, we have sent our ambulances to carry out rescue efforts of shifting the injured to the hospitals,” he told reporters at the Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre of the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where he went to inquired after the health of the victims of the shrine blast.

“Our doctors tried their best to save the lives of the wounded brought here but some were in quite critical condition and could not survive because of their late arrival to the hospital.”

Besides the Sindh CM, Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Karachi Corps Commander Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar, Miftah Ismail and Dr Mussadiq Malik of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izhar-ul-Hasan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and others also visited the CHK.

Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, Balochistan CM and others visit Civil Hospital

The CM said that he had ordered the authorities to procure a helicopter which could be used for disaster management but the apex court had stayed the process.

“The Sindh government badly needs a latest helicopter to deal with such incidents and disasters,” he said. “As the Sindh government does not have ample resources we are trying to develop and improve our capacity to deal with such emergencies.”

Accompanied by Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mendhro, Health Secretary Usman Chachar, the Karachi commissioner and others, the CM further said: “Nothing is more precious than the life of people, I have categorically issued directives to the chief secretary and IG police to provide whatever is available but save lives of devotees.”

Mr Shah said that terrorists were targeting shrines, mosques and other such places because they were soft targets.

He said that he was going to appoint 6,000 doctors so that the Thar, Kohistan and Kachho areas of the province could be provided with doctors and paramedics.

“I have allocated financial resources to establish a forensic lab,” he said.

Earlier, he said that terrorists were the enemy of not only Pakistan but Islam.

He said most of the dead and wounded hailed from Karachi.

“I have declared a state of emergency in city’s major hospitals. Doctors were called back, extra blood and medicines arranged apart from sending ambulances to Shah Noorani to transport the injured back to Karachi soon after the blast,” he said.

The chief minister said he visited the injured persons and inquired after their health.

“I have given clear instructions to provide them best health facilities,” he said, adding that he was briefed that 34 bodies were brought to the Trauma Centre, of them 32 had been handed over to their heirs following identification.

Meanwhile, Balochistan CM Nawab Sanaullah Zehri also paid a visit to the Civil Hospital and inquired about the health of the wounded persons.

He thanked the Sindh government for extending cooperation in the treatment of the injured of the terrorist incident.

Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khwaja Izhar-ul-Hasan with lawmakers belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement visited the Civil Hospital and met the wounded and their families.

Talking to reporters, he demanded that security must be beefed up at all shrines across Sindh.

He said that the MQM-Pakistan was with the Sindh government and ready to extend its full cooperation for the Omaintenance of peace in Sindh. “Terrorists are carrying out their nefarious acts only to destablise the country,” he added.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sent his two aides, Mr Ismail and Dr Mailk, to inquire about the health of the victims of the Shah Noorani shrine blast.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2016