PESHAWAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has expressed concern over the reports about fast spread of dengue virus and warned that if the provincial government failed to take prompt steps for its control then the party workers would demonstrate outside the Chief Minister House.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, JUI-F central leader Haji Ghulam Ali claimed that three people had died while 150 others were suffering from the disease during a month due to outbreak of dengue virus.

He feared that if the officials of health department didn’t take timely precautionary measures then a large number of people would be affected from the disease and the entire responsibility would rest with the provincial government.

Flanked by former lawmaker Attifur Rahman and others, the JUI-F leader said registration of about 150 dengue cases during one month had exposed the poor performance of PTI-led provincial government in health sector as it was not interested in resolution of public issues.

The former senator said PTI chairman Imran Khan had claimed to build new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the condition of hospitals was pathetic, wherein no medicines were available for poor patients.

The JUI-F leader said the provincial government had stripped the local bodies of all powers and the elected people were unable even to carry out fumigation in respective localities to get rid of mosquitoes to avoid dengue outbreak.

“We are in contact with doctors and paramedical staff of different hospitals who admitted that so far no arrangements have been made to control dengue,” he claimed.

He also criticised the provincial government for failure to carry out development works in the province, saying the PTI would face defeat in the 2018 general elections.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2017