Treating people with respect

LARKANA: Sindh’s Thar district for long has not only remained a drought-stricken area but one which is also known for a significant number of children experiencing malnutrition and stunted growth. Diarrhoea epidemic too is a common occurrence. While the resilient Tharis manage to sustain themselves despite the severity of conditions it is disappointing that they are being humiliated and treated derogatorily by government officials when receiving what is their share of aid.

Instead of owning up to its incompetence in averting drought in the region, the relevant authorities are seen doing otherwise. As many walk miles to reach the wheat distribution centres, they are disappointed by the indifferent attitude of government officials. According to various non-governmental resources, 377 Tharis have committed suicide since 2011 mainly due to abject poverty and other economic issues. What would take for the government to wake up from its deep slumber and do something substantial for the uplift of the people of Thar.

Recently, a young girl suffering from rabies took her own life after she failed to recover from the disease due to unavailability of proper treatment for a disease that requires a simple vaccination course. Dog bites, rabies and then the dog culling drives that follow are the common solution to the problem that the local authorities here follow. Yet the government repeatedly fails to arrange vaccines at hospitals on a timely basis. To have adequate treatment facilities available in government hospitals is a right people are entitled to.

The PPP’s provincial government must take notice of the ordeal Tharis are going through, as the party chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, too has promised to deliver in the third consecutive tenure of his government in the province.

Lubna Shahid

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2018.

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