Tarar calls to oust CM Gandapur over Swat River tragedy

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar on Saturday demanded the suspension of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur following a tragic incident at Swat river, ARY News reported.

Addressing a news conference, the information minister said that the provincial government has suspended the Swat deputy commissioner for negligence that led to the tragic deaths of at least 12 persons who were drowned in the Swat River.

“The provincial government suspended the deputy commissioner,” he said and insisted that “Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur should be suspended over the incident”.

Atta Tarar accused the PTI of ruining KP’s infrastructure over 12 years and pointed to the Swat disaster, where tourists’ cries for help went unanswered.

“The tourists kept calling for help yet no rescue efforts were mounted even after a many hours delay,” he added.

The information minister questioned why helicopters were not utilized for rescue. “The PTI founder once frequently used provincial helicopters, yet no such effort was made despite hours passing without rescue operations,” Atta Tarar added.

He said that the public mandated the Chief Minister for service, not to be ‘operated’ from Adiala prison.

“The real casualty in the Swat tragedy was not the tourists but the PTI’s governance system,” said the information minister.

Read More: 4 tourists rescued, 11 bodies recovered, search continues for 3

Earlier on Friday, a flash flood in the Swat River swept away 17 with 12 bodies have been recovered so far.

According to officials, a total of 17 people were caught in a sudden surge of water while gathered near the riverbank.

Out of the 17 trapped tourists, 10 were residents of Daska in Punjab, six were from Mardan, and one was a local resident of Swat.

An official confirmed that rescue operations are ongoing to locate the remaining missing tourists while three individuals have been successfully rescued.