MNA raises alarm over dengue deaths in Hyd

MQM-P lawmaker tells National Assembly about substandard fumigation

HYDERABAD:

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-P (MQM) lawmaker Syed Waseem Hussain has raised the issue of rising dengue-related deaths in Hyderabad on the floor of the National Assembly, appealing to President Asif Ali Zardari to take urgent notice of the situation and hold those responsible for negligence and corruption to account.

During Wednesday's session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, the MQM-P MNA took the floor on a point of order, stating that 32 people had lost their lives to dengue fever in Hyderabad within a month.

He said he had been trying for three days to draw the Speaker and Deputy Speaker's attention to the worsening situation and had even reached out to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) members to resolve the crisis at the provincial level, but no action was taken.

Hussain criticised local government authorities, saying the mayor, town chairmen and municipal departments had failed to fulfil their responsibilities. "Substandard fumigation is being done - it cannot kill even common mosquitoes, let alone dengue vectors," he said.

He added that he had submitted a calling attention notice as well. "If the local government fails and the mayor is unwilling to work, what option is left? Thirty-two people have already died," Hussain said. Citing the example of his own mother, who was recently hospitalised, he said the situation had reached a point where young children aged 13 were dying and there was no one to listen. "This is not just a provincial issue under the 18th Amendment - it is a matter of human lives."

Appealing emotionally, he said: "I request, with folded hands, President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP members present in the House to show mercy on Hyderabad. People are dying."

Reciting the Kalima on the assembly floor, Hussain urged the federal government to intervene if the provincial authorities continued to ignore the crisis. He proposed that a committee be formed and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) be involved so that further deaths could be prevented.

"No matter which party someone belongs to — MQM, PPP, PTI or PML-N — those engaged in corruption must be removed to save lives," he stressed.

Taking immediate notice, Deputy Speaker Shah directed that the mayor of Hyderabad, the Sindh Health Minister and other relevant departments be asked to take urgent action.

Footage of the Assembly remarks has since gone viral on social media in Hyderabad.