NDMA will be responsible if another Murree-like disaster occurs Says court
By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023
If another tragedy, like the one in Murree, takes place, the National Disaster Management Commission will be responsible for it, Justice Athar Minallah, chief justice of the Islamabad High Court, has ruled.
On Friday, Attorney General Khalid Jawed told the court that action against those found responsible for the disaster had started. “A session of the National Disaster Management Commission, too, will soon be called,” he reassured.
It might take some time because the forum is huge and members are unavailable. “If the need arises, we will conduct the session via circulation.”
At the previous hearing, NDMA’s Idrees Khan Mehsud had revealed that their last meeting was held in 2018. The court had, subsequently, directed the prime minister to call a commission meeting in a week and identify those responsible for the Murree tragedy. It had remarked that the authority was responsible for every death that took place.
On January 21, Justice Minallah asked if Punjab has a separate disaster management commission. The attorney-general replied that the district and provincial governments manage Murree.
No. It was Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s responsibility [for arrangements in the hill station], the judge said, adding that if NDMA followed its principles, such a disaster wouldn’t happen.
The court then said that it will pass a written verdict which will clarify that for any Murree-like incidents in the future, NDMA will be responsible.
National Disaster Management Commission
The NDMC is chaired by the prime minister and its members include opposition leaders in the Senate and National Assembly, defense minister, health minister, foreign minister, finance minister, interior minister, social welfare and special education minister, communication minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, chief ministers of all four provinces and Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir’s prime minister, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee or his or her nominee, the NDMA chairman and a civil society representative.
The commission’s responsibilities are:
- lay down policies on disaster management
- approve a national disaster plan
- approve plans prepared by the ministries or divisions of the federal government in accordance with the national disaster plan
- lay down guidelines to be followed by the federal government and provincial authorities
- arrange for, and oversee, the provision of funds for the purpose of mitigation measures, preparedness, and response
- provide such support to other countries affected by major disasters as the federal government may determine
- take such other measures for the prevention of disaster, or the mitigation, or for preparedness and capacity building for dealing with disaster situation as it may consider necessary
