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LAHORE: A terminally ill stone-crushing worker suffering from silicosis died in Dera Ghazi Khan after authorities allegedly failed to provide oxygen despite two directions from the Lahore High Court (LHC) to provide immediate medical treatment support to stone-crushing industry’s labourers fighting for life.
Murid Hussain, a resident of Chak Nangar, tehsil Kot Chutta, died on Sunday (July 12) in the final stages of silicosis, an irreversible lung disease caused by prolonged inhalation of silica dust at stone crushing and grinding units.
He was one of the patients listed in a public interest petition pending before the LHC since 2014 regarding compensation, medical treatment and rehabilitation of silicosis victims.
As Hussain’s condition worsened, the high court during May last repeatedly directed the authorities concerned to ensure an immediate and uninterrupted supply of oxygen.
Court orders for oxygen supply to patient not implemented; family exhausts resources on treatment
However, according to the petitioners, the orders remained unimplemented as district health authorities failed to arrange the life-support equipment.
His family, living in a remote village, was forced to purchase oxygen cylinders and medicines at a daily cost of around Rs5,500. Unable to bear the financial burden, they eventually exhausted their resources.
“The court ordered oxygen for him by name, but the order was never implemented,” counsel for the petitioners, Usama Khawar, told Dawn.
He said a government committee constituted on the court’s directions had yet to hold a single meeting while the patient’s condition continued to deteriorate.
On May 21, LHC Justice Khalid Ishaq had directed the Punjab government to establish a high-level committee to address the issue.
The committee, notified on June 18, is headed by the chief secretary, with the additional chief secretary serving as co-convener and includes the secretaries of labour, health, specialised healthcare, mines and minerals, industries and social welfare.
Its first meeting, scheduled for July 7 at the Civil Secretariat, was postponed due to “unavoidable reasons”.
However, the judge, at the previous hearing, expressed dissatisfaction, observing that the explanation was insufficient given that human lives were involved in the matter.
The judge granted a final opportunity for the committee to convene and submit a compliance report, warning that the additional chief secretary would otherwise have to personally explain the continued inaction.
In the same proceedings, the judge also rejected a report submitted by the deputy commissioner of Sheikhupura stating that officials had been unable to trace owners of stone-crushing units against whom compensation decrees remained unexecuted.
Calling the report “unacceptable,” the judge summoned the deputy commissioner and two assistant commissioners in person, observing that state officials could not evade their responsibility to enforce court decrees.
According to a report submitted by the deputy commissioner of Dera Ghazi Khan in 2022, more than 130 residents of Chak Nangar had already died of silicosis, while hundreds more were suffering from the disease.
A medical board that visited the village in May this year identified 30 previously unregistered symptomatic patients, increasing the number of verified cases to 157.
The litigation before the LHC along with connected proceedings before the Supreme Court, has documented more than 200 deaths across Punjab due to silicosis.
The LHC is scheduled to take up the matter on July 16.
Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026
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