Internews/Islamabad
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would visit Karachi early next week and review the report of the teams sent to the port city for fact-finding regarding deaths due to the heatwave.
The two-member informal commission comprising federal ministers Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Saira Afzal Tarar was to have submitted its report to the prime minister yesterday while the team of the Water and Power Secretary Yunus Dhaga and Nepra chairman would brief the prime minister today about their probe into the electricity supply situation by K-Electric.
The sources in the PM House said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was in constant touch with the Met Office and weather experts to ascertain the climatic effects on the port city.
He also asked the Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan to conduct a study on the harsh weather in Karachi and its surrounding areas so that precautionary measures could be taken and future casualties be stopped.
An initial comment by Senator Mushahidullh had suggested that the current heatwave was the outcome of presence of unguarded Indian coal-based industries established in Rajasthan as those power plants disturbed weather pattern in vast area.
Prime Minister Nawaz expressed concern about the lethargic behaviour of the Sindh government that failed in taking prompt action to stall the worst impact of the wave, the sources added.
The Prime Minister House was satisfied with the emergency arrangements made by the Army/Rangers in Karachi to provide relief to the heatstroke patients.
The prime minister would like to gather details of such arrangements made by various organisations to the victims of the heatstroke, the sources said.
