‘PPP discriminating in ration distribution’

Siddiqui complains that ‘political favourites’ are heading distribution committees

HYDERABAD: Discrimination is evident in the relief activities being carried out by the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Sindh government during the lockdown, claimed Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.

"The PPP's government is negating the spirit of democracy and promoting authoritarianism in the prevailing situation," alleged Siddiqui, talking to the media during a visit to the blood donation camp at the Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation  hospital in Hyderabad on Monday.

He claimed that the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation mayor, Syed Tayyab Hussain, had been made part of a committee which was headed by a lower grade government official. Similarly, he added, the union councils' chairmen had also been made members of ration distribution committees that were headed by low ranking officials.

"The Hyderabad district administration has done great injustice in making these committees," he maintained.

Siddiqui contended that criticism of the provincial government should not be considering political point-scoring; rather, he said, it aimed to point out flaws and discrimination in the mechanism that was meant to provide food aid to the needy.

He said the PPP is always heard championing the cause of democracy, but instead of assigning elected representatives the task of the distribution, political favourites were heading the committees. "The Sindh government needs to ensure that the rations are not distributed on an ethnic or political basis,"he insisted.

The MQM-P leader said that over half of the country's population lived below the poverty line and therefore required support from the government, well-off people and charity organisations for their sustenance.

Siddiqui also said that the lockdown was inevitable, in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus, adding that while the government is responsible for providing healthcare, food and other facilities, the masses too have the responsibility to maintain social distancing and stay at home.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2020.