Express News screengrab of Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Sharjeel Inam Memon.
Speaking to the media in Karachi, Memon said it was saddening to see the government was trying to reason with the very people it should be fighting.
"The terrorists should be eliminated; the ones who have spread chaos in the country."
Pointing out the various segments of the society targeted by the TTP, the minister said "they have attacked our army, attacked our schools, our madrassahs, our shops, our imambargahs and our mosques."
Memon lamented that pro-talks political parties were calling these attackers patriots and brothers.
Admitting that all parties had given the mandate to hold talks, Memon said innocent lives were still being lost while the government negotiates.
"I do not condemn the peace talks nor do I approve of them," Memon added.
Thar tragedy
The PPP leader stated that the federal government had promised to provide aid to the victims of the Tharparkar drought, but making promises and following through on them are two different things. He claimed that the Sindh government had not received a single paisa from the federal government, even though the prime minister had promised that funds would be provided for the victims.
When asked about progress of relief activities in the district, Memon said that wheat was given to all of the drought victims. “The government is carrying out relief work in all locations affected by the drought,” he stated.
In response to an accusation that he was passing the entire blame on to the federal government, Memon said that this was a natural calamity and no one could be held responsible for the deaths in Tharparkar.
“It is a bitter fact that child mortality in Pakistan is the highest in the world”, Memon stated, adding that 600 children die in the country every day.
Express News reported that two more children succumbed to hunger in Thar, taking the death toll to more than 182 infants and children in the drought-hit district in the last four months. The government, however, accepts only about 100 of these deaths.
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"the Sindh government had not received a single paisa from the federal government". Give it to the Sindh Government? Why? To transfer the money immediately into foreign bank accounts? Or to organize another music festival?
Mr.Memom...you have elected from Tharparkar ,what have you given to these people death,hunger,and illness..
American puppets cant see anything but want their people to be killed. We don't think that these people are insane or hold different view from people who negotiation, its just that " Sab Paise ka Game hai "
These feudal lords have their palatial houses with swimming pools in Tharpakar, while the poor people are dying of thirst and hunger. The jiyalas stole the wheat which were meant to be distributed to the poor, the govt wheat were left to decay in the open air, not even fit for animal consumption.
The current Gov is performing a lot better than compared to yours... period..
Let's give credit to PPP where it deserves - for having a clear, morally good, legally and politically correct stance on the issue.
Mr. Sharjeel, if those were your kids (God forbid) would you be laying out these bitter facts the same way? Human life is precious whether that is a rich soul or a street beggar.
Mr. Sherjeel... BTW what PPP did 5 years... Except looting money...