Siblings’ death: Committee formed to probe the incident changed overnight

KARACHI: A committee constituted to probe the incident of five minor siblings who died in Karachi after consuming ‘poisonous food’ has been changed for undeclared reasons, ARY News reported Friday.

The provincial government of Sindh had formed a two-member committee comprising officers from Provincial Welfare Department.

The committee was supposed to present its report within two days. However, a new committee has been formed under a government official M.B. Khattak, and it’s been ordered to furnish its report within a week.

Five children of the same family died in Karachi on Feb 22 after allegedly consuming toxic food, prompting authorities to seal a branch of a popular biryani chain for investigation.

Read: Siblings’ death: Food samples being sent for testing, Sindh CM told

The victims’ father, Faisal Zaman had come to Karachi from Quetta with his wife Nida Faisal and their five children, including Abdul Ali, Aziz Faisal, Alina, Tauheed and Salwa. Faisal’s sister Beena also accompanied them.

In an initial report, the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) informed the chief minister that food samples, collected from the Naubahar Restaurant – where the victims’ father bought food from – and Qasar-e-Naz – where the family was staying –, were being sent to a lab for testing.

The family had arrived in Karachi three days before the incident and checked into Qasr-e-Naz – the government officers’ lodge.

Faisal bought biryani from the Naubahar Restaurant and brought it to the guest house, which after consuming, his family members died after falling unconscious.