Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has blamed government negligence and administrative failure for the deadly Kahna tuition centre tragedy.
He has demanded a transparent investigation, strict punishment for those responsible. And concrete measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
He was speaking to the media after visiting the site of the tragedy in Kahna, Lahore.
The JI leader said the incident was not only a tragedy for the affected families but for the entire nation. He rejected attempts to shift responsibility onto local residents or the victims’ families. He insisted that an impartial accountability process should determine those responsible for the disaster.
Earlier, the JI chief met the bereaved families, expressed heartfelt condolences. And offered prayers for the departed children and the speedy recovery of the injured.
Rehman urged the government to immediately order a transparent inquiry, identify those responsible and ensure they receive strict legal punishment. He also called for effective reforms to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
He said hundreds of buildings and educational institutions in Lahore were in a dilapidated condition. Yet, he added, instead of repairing and upgrading them, the government was outsourcing them. It raised serious questions about government priorities, he said.
Referring to Kahna as part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s constituency, he said hundreds of settlements in the area continued to lack basic civic facilities despite repeated promises. He stressed that the protection of children’s lives was the state’s foremost responsibility. Rehman called for immediate development work in the locality.
The JI chief also criticised the government’s emergency response. He said local residents had transported the injured children to hospitals on their own. It exposed the failure of the official emergency response system, he said.
Rehman further claimed that poverty in Punjab had increased by 41 percent. People, he said remained deprived of basic services. He also criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The JI Emir alleged that although Maryam visited after the tragedy, she did not meet the grieving families. He added that the area did not even have a single government school, which reflected poorly on the government’s performance.
