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Imran condemns negligence in drought hit-area of Thar
“First priority of any government should be provision of basic necessities to its people, including food”
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday condemned the neglect by the Sindh and federal government of the ongoing and worsening drought in Thar.
In a statement issued here, he said that it was inexplicable why the Sindh and federal governments failed to anticipate the drought and its fallout despite all signs of a drought situation setting in with the failure of the advent of monsoon rains by mid August. “The first priority of any government should be the provision of basic necessities to its people, including food. Yet the people of Tharparkar have been left with no food or protection against disease – especially children,” Imran said.
In previous years 24 suicide cases were reported in 2011 and 35 in 2012. But within the last seven months Tharparkar district has already seen 31 suicide deaths. A renowned social worker and CEO of Hisaar Foundation Dr Sono Kangharani says that the main reason behind the suicides is in fact poverty which has been accentuated by the continuing drought. This year the drought is reported to be worse than the previous ones in 1974 and 1986.
Imran said that the problem of the drought has been further aggravated by the total lack of failure to understand what needs to be done. It is not simply a matter of distributing wheat or vaccinating children after malnutrition and disease have set in. The main issue is livestock which needs to be saved as the local people depend on this livestock. Clean drinking water is also an essential to save not only the people but also for the survival of the livestock.
He said that the absence of a strategy to deal with drought in Tharparkar is reflective of a complete failure of successive governments to plan proactively for the welfare of the ordinary citizens of Pakistan. “Even today despite daily reports of deaths due to the drought our rulers remain unmoved to act on an emergency basis,” Imran said. “Sindh and federal government have abdicated their responsibilities to NGOs and private donors once again”, Khan concluded.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk