Order in the House: Stop the blame game, says former health minister

Sagheer Ahmed claims that other depts should be held equally responsible for Thar tragedy

KARACHI: Thar deaths and forced conversions dominated Monday's Sindh Assembly session. It was a particularly tough day for ministers accused of being involved in neglecting the drought affected area of Thar.

The session started with the opposition jumping up from its benches and questioning the credibility of the health department and Sindh government.

"Can the information minister explain why there is a mobile ambulance dispensary and a fancy car standing at his farmhouse?" asked Pakistan Muslim League-Functional's Imtiaz Shaikh. "Why doesn't he send them into the field to help or treat victims of the drought?"

Strike one

With his voice as harsh as a cracking whip, Sharjeel Memon responded: "I will resign and give up politics if anyone proves that this is the case."

According to Memon, this was all part of propaganda against him. "Around 600 children die in Pakistan every day but the media doesn't say anything about that," he said. "The media only creates a hue and cry if a child dies in Thar."

Strike two

The Thar inquiry commission, headed by Justice (retd) Zahid Kurban Alavi and Pakistan Peoples Party leaders, has been extremely critical of the health department and its failure to deal with the situation at hand. So it did not come as a shock when Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Dr Sagheer Ahmed, the former Sindh health minister, expressed his annoyance over the report.

"The health department alone cannot be held responsible for the tragedy in Thar," he said. "There are other departments which should share equal responsibility of what happened."  He added that the Peoples Primary Health Care Initiatives (PPHI) looks after health related issues in rural Sindh. He claimed that it was not clear who ran the healthcare initiative as it was not under the health minister's domain.

"I want to know why 150 PPHI centres are non-functional in Thar," he said. "Why did the PPP's Faryal Talpur ask PPHI officials to stop working in Benazirabad?"

The former health minister claimed that all basic health centres had been placed under the PPHI which worked independently and not as a part of the health department.

Strike three

The current provincial health minister, Jam Mahtab Dahar, tried his best to divert the attention of the House towards bad planning, dispensaries and basic health centres in the district. He claimed that in every tehsil four to five dispensaries and basic health centres had been set up in Thar.

He said that ghost doctors and paramedics were getting paid but did not bother showing up to work. He added that they were now being served with show-cause notices and will be removed from the service.

And he's not out

The leader of the opposition, Shaharyar Mahar, held chief minister Qaim Ali Shah responsible for the situation in Thar and demanded that an FIR be lodged against him. "A minister from his own party has exposed the provincial government's negligence," he said. "The chief minister should step down from his post."

Forced conversion

MPA Diwan Chand Chawala raised the issue of forced conversion cases. "Where should we go?" he asked, talking about the Anjali Meghwar case. "People kidnap us and forcibly convert our women. The founder of this nation promised to give us protection but we are being harassed."

Chawala was assured by the minister for parliamentary affairs that the government would resolve the case.

Developing cities: Talking about Hyderabad and Karachi

Setting up a university in Hyderabad and the lack of development funds for Karachi created uproar in the House. “The government had promised to set up a university in Hyderabad but nothing has been done,” said Muhammad Rashid Khilji, an MQM MPA from the city.

Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro tried to defend his government by arguing that the Sindh University, Liaquat University of Medical Sciences and Mehran University in Jamshoro had already been established to cater to the needs for students in Hyderabad and neighbouring districts. He promised that they would build a new university as soon as they had land and resources to do so.

MQM’s Muhammad Hussain asked why the government had failed to initiate any mega project in Karachi. “Around Rs1,122 million were allocated for Karachi and Rs3 billion were earmarked by the local government department for the city,” he said. “So far, only meager amounts have been released.” Sharjeel Memon responded that the delays were caused by contractors and other people who had gone to court over some of the projects.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2014.