Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday commended heroes who rescued eight trapped passengers — six schoolchildren and two adults — of a dangling cable car in Battagram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On Tuesday, people in Pakistan and across the world were glued to their screens as Pakistan Army’s special unit and zipline experts conducted a successful rescue mission to save the people stuck inside a broken gondola for more than 15 hours after two of its cables snapped.
Speaking during a commemoration ceremony held at the PM Office in honour of those who participated in the Battagram rescue operation, PM Kakar said the recognition was well-deserved by every individual involved, who exhibited remarkable prowess in orchestrating the mission to a triumphant conclusion.
During the ceremony, PM Kakar awarded commendation certificates to the valiant commandos, armed forces personnel and local residents for their efforts in saving eight lives.
“Millions of people were distraught when this incident took place. The cable car incident left Pakistanis and people around the world in a state of anxiousness,” PM Kakar said.
He also appreciated the children — who were dangling inside the cable car for over 15 hours — saying that they were heroes for facing this situation.
“Children are the future of this country and by saving them, we saved our nation’s future,” the premier said, adding, “The credit goes to all Pakistanis who prayed during the high-risk operation.”
He also said that there were some hopes as well as concerns regarding the situation.
Moreover, while speaking about the security of Pakistan, PM Kakar paid tribute to the soldiers who were martyred during an intense exchange of fire in KP’s South Waziristan.
“It is the state’s responsibility to provide security and employment to the people and no power can stop us from serving the nation,” highlighted the prime minister.
He also assured the nation that Pakistan is being managed by talented and empowered people. “This is our home and we are not going anywhere. Those who think that they can change our way of life are mistaken.”
‘NDMA taking steps to deal with sudden disasters’
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, who also attended the ceremony, said that a complete report of the incident would be presented after five to six months.
Speaking about the rescue mission, NDMA Chairman Malik said that the operation was continued keeping in view the weather situation.
“We were in contact with district administration and locals of the area and tried expanding the capacity of the rescue efforts with them,” he added.
He further told the ceremony attendees that all the institutions were involved in monitoring them till the end of the operation.
“All the institutions took timely steps during the rescue operation and was completed with coordinated strategy,” he said, adding that NDMA is taking steps to deal with sudden disasters and events like this.
— Additional input from APP.
