KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Monday contested points raised by Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmakers about the rising number of deaths from starvation in Thar, arguing that he himself on Sunday was in Thar where one death was reported over the past three months.

Sunday’s was his ninth visit to the desert of Thar in the recent past, said Mr Shah while making a statement on the floor of the house in response to the allegations made by the MQM lawmakers against the government about mishandling the famine situation in Thar.

He said that the reason of the deaths in drought-hit Thar was the same as in other parts of the country. According to the World Health Organization, he said, every year 10 per cent children die in Pakistan before reaching the age of five. But, he said, in order to satisfy the lawmakers he would suggest to the speaker to constitute a committee of lawmakers to investigate and report about the number of children’s deaths in the Civil Hospital Karachi and in the Mithi District Hospital.

The chief minister said a committee of lawmakers could be formed to investigate reports of the government’s negligence in taking relief measures in Tharparkar. “We will tender an apology if our laxity is proved,” he said.

The MQM lawmakers had earlier accused the government of mishandling the famine situation in Thar where they said 25 children had died from starvation so far.

The chief minister said that he had been monitoring the relief measures being taken in Thar. He said the death of one child was reported in Thar over the past three months. In the Mithi district hospital, he said, there was a paediatrics ward such as the one in the Civil Hospital Karachi where all medical treatment facilities, which were available to other government hospitals in the province, were provided. Sixty-four doctors were appointed in government hospitals in far-flung areas of Sindh, he added.

He advised the legislators to pay a visit to the Mithi city and see themselves the road infrastructure and other facilities built and developed in recent years.

“We are providing wheat free of cost and by now wheat worth Rs2 billion has been distributed, 200km road infrastructure constructed in Mithi and 1,000 houses have been provided power supply and drinking water,” he said.

He said only two reverse osmosis plants had been installed in Thar during the tenure of a former chief minister who hailed from Thar. The PPP government, he added, during its tenure installed 80 reverse osmosis plants in Thar. He added that 150 more RO plants would be installed by June next year.

Besides, he said, a water supply line would be repaired till June and more towns would be provided drinking water soon.A resolution submitted by an MQM lawmaker Mohammad Hussain on the subject for taking it out of turn could not be taken up on technical grounds. Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza said the issue had already been discussed and responded by the chief minister.

It’s a gigantic task to make food arrangement for 1.6 million people, but the Sindh government did its best to provide food and shelter to them. The lawmakers who were trying to take undue advantage of the famine situation did not know Kacho Thar, where the government had done a lot for the people, he reiterated.

“The lawmakers must go there and witness themselves before criticizing the government,” he said.

When MQM deputy parliamentary party leader Khwaja Izhar-ul-Hasan tried to drew attention of the chair, the chief minister also requested the speaker not to initiate any debate on this issue after his statement.

The chair then adjourned the session till Tuesday morning.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2014