Daily Times

The Thar district, which is otherwise famous for one of the largest coal deposits in the world, is now in the grip of the worst famine in recent years. The victims of the famine and resulting malnutrition are children ranging from the ages of two to 10. At least 124 children have died of famine. The PPP government, under the leadership of Syed Qaim Ali Shah, has been ruling the Sindh province for the last six years but has done nothing to alleviate the poverty of the people, particularly of Thar, one of the poorest regions in Sindh, where young children and adults are dying as no food or water is available for them. The famine crisis started in December last year; the local media has been reporting on the famine situation regularly with pictures of malnourished children and their harassed mothers but the Sindh government, especially the bureaucracy, did not take notice of the grim situation in Thar while the death toll was rising alarmingly.

The chief minister, who was visibly shocked to see children dying in the laps of their mothers, has admitted that the fault lies with the local administration, which was unable to distribute food grains and other items at the proper time and place, resulting in the famine and the deaths of the innocent children. He has also suspended some officers responsible for the negligence but these are all lame excuses and he wants to save his position as the chief executive of the province. Now the Supreme Court (SC) has taken suo motu notice about the situation in Thar. Meanwhile, the army chief has ordered the Corp Commander Sindh to dispatch troops to conduct relief operations, provide food and medical help to the affected families. The Pakistan army is always at the forefront to meet challenges whenever and wherever such crises occur. Also, Mr Malik Riaz, the real estate tycoon, has sanctioned Rs 20 crores for the relief of the poor and affected people of Thar. Some kindhearted persons in Karachi have also provided food and water to the affected families but the Sindh government, whose ministers mostly come from feudal backgrounds, are immune to the sufferings of Thar’s people; they hardly bother about the problems of the people in Sindh, both rural and urban. These ministers advised the young Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to celebrate the Sindh Cultural Festival last month while children were dying in large numbers in Thar because their parents had no food, water or other grains to save their lives. Half a billion rupees were spent to commemorate the Sindh Festival with the aim to build a political image for Bilawal. Even the festival was not devoid of corruption and public money was spent lavishly with no tangible result.

Meanwhile, the situation in Thar, as it prevails now, must be discussed on the floor of the provincial and National Assembly to condemn neglect on the part of the Sindh government and ask Qaim Ali Shah to resign as he, according to some doctors, is unable to make proper decisions. A team of independent members of civil society should visit Thar and investigate the facts about the deaths of the children and the cause of the famine. Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif has also taken notice of the famine situation in Thar and has asked federal government officials to visit the area and do whatever is necessary to alleviate the sufferings of the Thar people. This gesture is being highly appreciated by the people of Sindh, especially the dwellers of Thar. However, if drought is the main cause of famine, as the chief minister has told the media, then what steps were taken to avert the situation? In our neighbouring country, whenever such a situation occurs, the government takes proper action by sending huge amounts of food grains to save the people from hunger and malnutrition but, in Pakistan, the government awakes only when the calamity has struck and people have died in large numbers as in the case of the Thar famine. I think the SC should ask why the Sindh government was in hibernation when children were dying on a daily basis because of non-availability of food, drinking water and medicine. Moreover, the suspension of low cadre officers will not satisfy the people because of the gross neglect on the part of the Sindh government.

However, it may be mentioned that drought in Thar is not a new phenomenon — it occurs after two to three years due to climate change but this time it was severe. Winter rains did not take place while the winter season was also biting, affecting agricultural growth. Since the Sindh government did not take any timely action, the situation became worse resulting in the deaths of a large number of children. This is how democracy works.

The writer is a freelance columnist