Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed accepted the negligence of the railways staff for allowing the Tableeghi Jamaat passengers to bring gas cylinder with them.
Talking to media, he said that those responsible for the negligence will be punished. Regarding demand of his resignation, Rasheed said the people who want him to resign must wait till Sunday. “My resignation is no issue,” he said.
Speaking to the media in Multan, he said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan has already ordered an inquiry in the incident. On Sunday, I will discuss more details.”
Sharing details about the inferno, Rashid said, “The train caught fire near Rahim Yar Khan, not because of the negligence of the ministry but because people do not obey the laws.”
At least 74 people died after a fire broke out in Tezgam Express when a gas canister and stoves, passengers were using to cook breakfast, reportedly exploded.
The fire destroyed three of the train’s carriages near Rahim Yar Khan in the south of Punjab. It was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi with many people going to a religious gathering.
Talking about today’s incident, Rashid said, “Today’s incident took place because of the people who were using the canister and stoves. The on-duty guards even stopped them from cooking on the train. They stopped for a while but as soon the guards left, they burned their stoves on again.”
