Following the death of four people and injuries to more than 15 in a blast in Larkana’s Lohar Colony, Awami Shehri Ittehad Larkana’s General Secretary Rashid Ahmed Memon has demanded an impartial investigation and financial assistance for the affected families.
Awami Shehri Ittehad Larkana, after an important meeting today, has declared the incident a heart-wrenching tragedy that has plunged the entire city into mourning. The organization’s statement described the blast site as a “battlefield,” where numerous homes were completely destroyed.
The civic organization, led by founder and president Ayaz Hussain Jafri, expressed deep sorrow for the victims and offered condolences to the bereaved families. However, the organization highlighted the “extremely concerning” silence from both the Larkana administration and the Sindh government and noted the clear absence of practical support for the affected households.
In a formal appeal to high-ranking officials, including Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Chief Minister of Sindh, and senior police leadership, the alliance has urged for a “transparent, impartial, and thorough investigation” of the disaster.
A key point of contention raised by the organization is the cause of the blast. The alliance has formally demanded clarification on whether the incident was genuinely caused by a gas cylinder or if some other cause was responsible for the devastation.
The organization made a specific demand to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Larkana, urging that anyone found to be directly or indirectly involved should not be spared due to any “recommendation, influence, or pressure,” and stressed the severity of the loss of life and property.
The statement further alleged that citizens are forced to use gas cylinders due to a continuous gas shortage, and claimed that applications for gas permits for 2024 and 2025 have gone unanswered by the relevant departments, while no effective action is taken against the supply of illegal cylinders.
During the meeting, the alliance also paid tribute to local journalists and cameramen for presenting the “real facts” of the incident to the public and described their work as a “true mirror of society.”