ISLAMABAD : August 24,2023: Caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, on Thursday distributed certificates of appreciation to the soldiers of Pakistan Army who successfully rescued the people who were trapped in the cable car (dolly) for several hours in Battagram as well as to the local people. 8 people including children were trapped at several hundred feet height for 14 hours after the rope of the cable car broke at Pashto in Tehsil Alai of Butgram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, Pakistan Army and local people showed courage and rescued all the people. In a function held at the Prime Minister’s Office, Anwar ul Haq distributed certificates of appreciation in honor of the SSG commandos and local people who conducted the successful rescue operation.The Caretaker Prime Minister while addressing a function organized in honor of those who took part in the cable car rescue operation at Battagram said that when people came to know about the incident from various sources, all the people were equally worried and in the midst of this anxiety. There were some hopes, some concerns and some fears.
He said “These children are the architects of our future, they are the face of our coming Pakistan and we have saved our future”. He said “I was repeatedly thinking about my son Noorul Haq, what would have happened to me if he was among them, my heart sank and I kept thinking that he was like Noor”.
Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said that people were worried not only in Pakistan but also abroad, the eyes of the world were focused on how we will deal with this challenge.
He said that all the children told me that at first we were afraid, but when they saw the soldiers from a distance they felt that they could be saved now, this is the relationship that should be established between the society and the state, he added.
He said that this credit is not only of the army, nor of the provincial disaster management authority, not only of the local people but it is the collective credit of all of us.
Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar said that we have limited time and our job is only to support the election process, we have no mandate more than that, some friends think that I am talking more than this mandate, but I am with the caretaker prime minister. Also, I am a proud citizen of this country, so as a citizen, we do not stop anyone from expressing my opinion, so please don’t stop me either.It should be remembered that the cable car rope break incident occurred between 7 and 8 am in the Alai area of Battagram district when the students were going to school by the cable car called Dolly in the local language. Including 8 people were rescued after several hours of operation.
Confirming the successful completion of the operation, the Public Relations Department of the Pakistan Army (ISPR) said in a statement that the Pakistan Army has successfully completed the most complex and difficult rescue operation in Biattagram.
The statement said that the GoC SSG led the rescue operation and the slinging team of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group safely rescued the people trapped in the cable car at a height of 600 feet. At what height the cable car was stuck, however, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), this cable car was stuck at a height of 1,000 to 2,000 feet.
The cable car had suspended mid-air surrounded by high mountains and rocky terrain. The school children got trapped after the rope of the cable car broke at Pashtu in Alai Tehsil of Butgram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Later , all the eight persons were rescued successfully.
