Tragedy or crime? Syed Talat Hussain

What a way to start your week! The horrific news of a building collapse in Lahore and the misery and pain of those who have suffered on account of the incident has taken away much of the positivity that you need to get through Monday blues. The thought that so many precious lives are lost yet again adds to the agony of the heart. Sincere prayers for the departed souls. There are questions that hang over the rubble of the collapsed building. One is a long-standing one, and for which no one here has ever bothered to give an answer. This pertains to building codes. The 2005 earthquake brought to the fore the faulty nature of building construction, particularly in the government sector where schools just melted away killing thousands of innocent children. We discovered that all the buildings codes were neglected and no one bothered about quality of construction. Since then and till now the same seems to be the case. Allegedly a cylinder blast has caused the collapse of this building in Lahore. If true, this only tells you how weak the structure must have been. Who do you hold responsible for such flimsy structures? Obviously those whose job it is to ensure that nothing is built that cannot stand the test of extra pressure. But the second question is even more important. Is it a mere coincidence that the collapsed building is actually a pharmaceutical factory? Does not seem so. Considering what a disaster some of these companies have caused to public health in the recent past there is every possibility that someone in panic decided to demolish the evidence of spurious drugs manufacturing and brought the whole building down. At this moment this is pure conjecture but we should be aware of the fact that human beings can be cruel beyond description when it comes to protecting their own skin. There is every possibility that the factor collapse is deliberately caused to destroy records. The investigators must keep this possibility in mind and do not let this matter rest. Careful collection of material from the sight can confirm the nature of the blast and material that caused it. That should lead us to find out whether poor structures or man’s inhumanity to man led to this awful tragedy.

Courtesy: Saach Media