Daily Times

KARACHI: Provincial Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the ground reality in Thar is comparatively better than it was in previous years, and the Sindh government has focused on upgrading the civic and health facilities in Thar and thus there is no complaint about paucity of required medical facilities in Mithi Civil Hospital, while the strength of doctors and paramedics is as per need.

There is no famine-like situation anywhere in Thar and the food starvation is also not a problem. As far as the deaths of minors in Thar are concerned, there are other reasons that contribute to sudden rise in children’s death. Sindh minister Nasir Shah told a press conference that the reasons behind such deaths are lack of awareness about handling of the neonates and mothers and delayed arrival of the ailing child to the medical facility. The medical facilities available at Mithi Civil Hospital are far better than any other medical facility in other districts. He was flanked with adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister for information Moula Bux Chandio, Senator Saeed Ghani, MPA Sikandar Shoro and MPA Lal Chand Okrani PPP Karachi Division information secretary Lateef Mughal, deputy information secretary Syed Manzoor Abbas and PPP Media Cell Sindh member Zulfiquar Kaimkhani were present. The minister said that the committee formed on directives of the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had recently visited Thar. The members of the committee took the officers of certain local departments and newly elected local bodies representatives on board and obtained necessary information from them about the ongoing situation in Thar.

He said the committee has prepared necessary recommendations and presented them to the Sindh CM for necessary onward action. There is need to expedite the process of making life in Thar protected. He said that as was seen in past, the committee has recommended to the Sindh Chief Minister for providing free wheat to the local populous either at the rate of 50kg each family or as per national identity card but the newly elected local bodies representatives have suggested that the Sindh government should provide wheat to the local Thar populous at half price. However, a fool proof mechanism would be carved out to ensure complete transparency in all matters, he assured.

Speaking on the occasion, adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister for information Moula Bux Chandio said that it is on record that not a single case based on ill-will or political grudge was framed against any during the past tenure of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and during previous tenure of the PPP, not a single political worker was in jail. He said that the PPP has always been open to accountability but there should be no political revenge on the pretext of accountability.

Chandio said that a pack of frustrated elements had formed an alliance against the PPP. These elements have been elected but their victory in elections has always been engineered so that they could be used against the PPP. The PPP does not have any threat from such pack of frustrate elements because they do not carry peoples’ support or mandate.