Sindh refuses aid from Centre, Punjab
The Sindh Government, after snubbing the Punjab Government’s offer for assistance to drought victims in the desert district of Tharparkar, has also refused the federal government’s offer of help.
A well-placed source in the federal capital told this correspondent that the federal government had contacted the Sindh government and offered assistance to improve the situation in Tharparkar. However, the Sindh government said it did not need help at the moment and wants to deal with the situation within its own resources. It said assistance from the federal government would be sought if needed.
The Punjab Government, however, vowed to help the drought victims through the federal government channel despite the snub from the Sindh government.
Agencies add: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, however, said reports of the Sindh government’s refusal to accept the Punjab government’s aid for drought-hit Tharparkar were baseless. He said the Punjab government had not offered any aid.
He thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the federal government for any offers for help.
Sharjeel Memon and Provincial Minister for Development Robina Qaimkhani visited the drought-hit areas and directed officials to speed up aid work.
Qaimkhani held the district government responsible for creating a situation in Tharparkar that forced the people to
migrate to other areas of the province.
People in Tharparkar are facing a famine-like situation in most of the areas where at least 32 malnourished children are reported to have died owing to food shortage. At least 193 children have died in Thar over the past three months.
To help the affected population in Mithi and Tharparkar, relief teams of the Pakistan Army have reached the area.
According to the ISPR, the relief effort includes field hospitals and food packs.
Doctors and paramedics have established field hospital to provide healthcare to the malnourished and sick at Diplo. On the first day of the relief operation, 10 tons of relief items were distributed and a total of 613 patients were treated at medical camp.
General Officer Commanding Hyderabad Garrison, Major General Inam, is in the area to oversee the ongoing relief efforts.
Panu Aqil and Karachi garrisons are also gearing up to reinforce relief activities with the help of civil society. Relief camps will also be established at Mithi, Chachhro, Nagarparkar, Islamkot and Khinsar. The support will continue till the crisis situation is normalised.
Meanwhile, the Sindh government on Saturday suspended the Mirpurkhas commissioner and Tharparkar deputy commissioner over their negligence in handling the situation in the drought-hit areas.
According to a notification issued here, Sajid Jamal Abro and Asif Ikram have been appointed new commissioner and deputy commissioner of Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar, respectively.
Also, PM Nawaz Sharif in a statement said on Saturday all available resources should be brought to use in order to assist the large numbers of women nursing their sick children and hungry people waiting for food in villages. He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other departments were keeping him apprised of the situation.
Spokesman for the Sindh government, Imdad Ali Keerio, said investigators were trying to determine who was responsible for delays in sending food and medicines to the area.
President Mamnoon Hussain phoned Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and discussed with him the situation in Tharparkar. He called for a report on the measures taken so far to provide relief to the affected people.
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari meanwhile directed Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to take immediate steps to save lives in the drought-hit areas of Sindh. He telephoned the CM from Dubai, asking him to reach Tharparkar immediately and solve the problems of locals.
However, Bilawal claimed that there was no malnutrition case in Tharparkar. In his tweets, he said: “There is a 73-bed hospital at Mithi, out of which 70 beds are taken. There are 21 children of which four of them in nursery and 17 in paediatrics.”
“None is a malnutrition case. But there are cases of pneumonia, meningitis and diarrhoea. General malnutrition level reduced resistance to combat disease,” he said.
There is a need to establish medical camps at Taluka hospitals. “There is a great shortage of doctors, (and he has) requested the Pakistan Medical Association to help out. The PMA has assured of its full support.”
The CM has also called a meeting of the Sindh Assembly members to review the situation. He also established a Thar Relief and Rehabilitation Cell at the CM House to coordinate and monitor the issues related to relief activities in Thar.
According to a notification, the cell would work round-the-clock under the supervision of Principal Secretary to the CM Rai Sikandar.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday announced a food package of Rs100 million for the affectees of Thar. KP CM Pervaiz Khattak directed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to purchase food items including rice, flour, daal, sugar, tea, cooking oil, dates, salt, water, baby milk and medicines from the local market on emergent basis and arrange its transportation to the affectees of Thar.
Kamran Zia, the chief spokesman for National Disaster Management Authority, said 23 children have died in the villages of Tharparkar desert since February. He said it was unclear whether the children died from a shortage of food or medical problems.
PPP-Sindh also set up a Thar Relief Camp in Mithi for social mobilisation, guidance to NGOs and individual in relief work in the affected areas of Tharparkar.
Sindh refuses aid from Centre, Punjab - thenews.com.pk
sazish hai ppp kay khilaffffffff ....
