Assembly debates situation: Sindh government rejects criticism over Thar infant mortality rate

The treasury on Friday enumerated the measures the PPP government has taken so far for providing relief to the people of drought-hit Tharparkar district and rejected the opposition's criticism of the government over infants deaths in the district. As the Sindh Assembly opened a debate on newborn children and infants deaths from malnutrition in the starvation-plagued Tharparkar, the opposition parties blamed the PPP government for its pathetic response to the deadly situation.
On the contrary, Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza defended her government, saying that no child had died of want of oxygenators at hospitals in Tharparkar. She counted the measures taken for proving relief to the famine-hit people, saying that the PPP government was the first to distribute free of cost wheat among public there. She also did not spare the Thar culture to blame for the infant and newborn babies' deaths and proposed a change in the living styles of people to improve their conditions. She added that the provincial government had taken made great efforts.
Sindh Food Minister, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the PPP government had done a lot for the people of Thar and would continue doing so. He denied that the situation in Thar was that poor as had been painted. "It is wrong to say that the PPP government has done nothing for Thar people," he said. He said that the PPP government had distributed wheat for seven times without cost and was doing it for the eighth time among the public in Thar. Roads construction, 400 RO plants installations and establishing of a 600 kilometers water pipeline were the other achievements of the Sindh government, which were highlighted during the debate.
He said that the government had spent Rs 4 billion on wheat distribution. He also told the house that the PPP government was planning to set up a University campus, besides installing solar-energy tube wells in Thar. He claimed that there had been scores of development schemes that would upturn the public living in the dune area. PPP's Dr Sikandar Shoro blamed the opposition for doing politics on Thar issue and mortality rate among children and women in the area was equal to that of other districts in the province. He said that children deaths from malnutrition were being overplayed and wrong statistics on infants' killings was being presented.
PPP's Gazala Siyal termed the opposition clamor over Thar situation as 'propaganda', saying that wrong figures of the children deaths were being presented. On the directions of PPP's Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his father Asif Zardari, the Sindh government had taken revolutionary steps to develop Thar. However, she proposed its government to spare an exclusive budget for Thar.
MQM's Amir Moin Perzada said that the government's all development of Thar just existed on papers as nothing was visible on grounds as such. He asked the government as to what had led to the deaths of children if potable water was pure and food is in abundance.
He advised the government to show seriousness towards Thar crisis and proposed a fund for the children and women. PML-F's Saeed Nizamani said that at least 130 children had died of malnutrition in Thar during the 29 days. He blamed the government for its pathetic response to the crisis. He said that Cholistan region of Punjab had never met such a situation, which Thar was facing every now and then.
PML-N's Surath Thebo criticised the government for attributing the children deaths to early age marriages, saying that there should be a commission to ascertain reasons behind the infants' deaths. PTI's Khurrum Sherzaman said that the government was indifferent towards the deaths. He said that doctors posts in Thar hospitals were still vacant.
PML-F's Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said that the neither chief minister nor the bureaucrats were present during the debate in the house, which shows the government's seriousness. She said that the government had to change its approach towards Thar and should ensure development in the far-flung region. Scores of legislators from opposition and treasury also spoke on the Thar issue. The house will resume the debate on Monday.