PAKISTAN: Pakistani hospitals on Monday struggled to treat scores of severely burned victims of a fuel tanker explosion that killed at least 146 people, as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew back from an overseas trip to visit the injured.
More than 118 people were injured in the explosion in the eastern province of Punjab, which came as people gathered to collect leaking fuel after the tanker overturned on Sunday, government officials and rescue workers said.
The disaster was one of several deadly events to mar the run-up to Monday’s Eid Al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. At least 65 people were killed in bombings in two cities on Friday claimed by Islamist militants including the Pakistani Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
A burst tire apparently caused the speeding fuel tanker to overturn on a sharp bend on a highway on the outskirts of the city of Bahawalpur, provincial spokesman Malik Muhammed Ahmed Khan said.
It was not clear what triggered the fireball but on Sunday, a spokesman for rescue services said someone was believed to have lit a cigarette.
“Rehabilitation and treatment of the victims is our top priority,” Khan said.
Hospitals are also arranging DNA testing to identify the many bodies that were charred beyond recognition. At least 20 children are among the dead.
Many of the burn victims have been moved the larger cities of Karachi and Lahore. Governments hospital are often-underequipped and the ones in Bahawalpur and nearby Multan were set up only to handle small numbers, Khan said.
The oil tanker driver, who survived, has been detained to assist in an investigation, but early reports do not indicate human error, Khan said.
He said a separate investigation was underway to see why police did not disperse the crowds of people who gathered to collect fuel.
“Police did try but we are looking into what went wrong,” he said.
Prime Minister Sharif visited the injured in Bahawalpur’s Victoria Hospital on Sunday after flying home from a trip to London, his office said.
Television footage showed the prime minister standing by the bedsides of victims.
Sharif had been in London to attend his grandson’s graduation ceremony, his daughter Maryam said in a tweet.
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Burn victims overwhelm Pakistani hospitals after tanker fire kills 146
Burn victims overwhelm Pakistani hospitals after tanker fire kills 146
Jailed Pakistan former PM loses most vision in one eye: lawyer
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has lost most of the vision in his right eye, his lawyer and family have said, raising fresh concerns about his health.
Khan, who is also a former star international cricketer, has been in jail since 2023 and was sentenced late last year along with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges they both deny.
His lawyer, Salman Safdar, visited Khan in jail this week and later submitted a report to Pakistan’s chief justice and the Supreme Court detailing his concerns and requesting treatment for his client.
“One of his eyes has only 15 percent vision,” Safdar told a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
The meeting with Safdar was Khan’s first contact with an outside visitor for several weeks, underscoring concerns raised by his legal team about limited access to Khan.
Safdar said Khan’s eyes were watery and he wiped them repeatedly during their meeting. Khan also complained of persistent irritation and vision problems, he said.
Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, said his father’s condition was the result of “medical neglect” during his confinement .”.. and the deliberate denial of proper treatment in jail.”
“The responsibility lies squarely with the regime in power, the Army Chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty,” Kasim Khan said on social media platform X late on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has already requested a report on Khan’s living conditions in connection with a case that has been pending since 2023.
Authorities had previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in January at Islamabad’s government hospital but gave no other details.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said at the time that Khan was “fine and healthy,” while government officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Khan was being mistreated in prison.
However, Safdar said that no meaningful action had been taken despite repeated complaints.
He has not expressed concerns about security but Safdar said in his report to the court that Khan believed his living conditions could be improved.
Khan was prime minister from 2018-22 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis over tensions between his government and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.
He has since faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges.
Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, maintain that the cases against him are politically motivated.
His arrest triggered nationwide protests in May 2023, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.
Khan, who is also a former star international cricketer, has been in jail since 2023 and was sentenced late last year along with his wife to 17 years on corruption charges they both deny.
His lawyer, Salman Safdar, visited Khan in jail this week and later submitted a report to Pakistan’s chief justice and the Supreme Court detailing his concerns and requesting treatment for his client.
“One of his eyes has only 15 percent vision,” Safdar told a news conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
The meeting with Safdar was Khan’s first contact with an outside visitor for several weeks, underscoring concerns raised by his legal team about limited access to Khan.
Safdar said Khan’s eyes were watery and he wiped them repeatedly during their meeting. Khan also complained of persistent irritation and vision problems, he said.
Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, said his father’s condition was the result of “medical neglect” during his confinement .”.. and the deliberate denial of proper treatment in jail.”
“The responsibility lies squarely with the regime in power, the Army Chief and the puppets enabling this cruelty,” Kasim Khan said on social media platform X late on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has already requested a report on Khan’s living conditions in connection with a case that has been pending since 2023.
Authorities had previously confirmed that Khan underwent a 20-minute medical procedure in January at Islamabad’s government hospital but gave no other details.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said at the time that Khan was “fine and healthy,” while government officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Khan was being mistreated in prison.
However, Safdar said that no meaningful action had been taken despite repeated complaints.
He has not expressed concerns about security but Safdar said in his report to the court that Khan believed his living conditions could be improved.
Khan was prime minister from 2018-22 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis over tensions between his government and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.
He has since faced multiple legal cases on corruption and other charges.
Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, maintain that the cases against him are politically motivated.
His arrest triggered nationwide protests in May 2023, some of which turned violent and led to hundreds of arrests.
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