HYDERABAD, Sept 18: The senior vice-president of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair, has criticised the Sindh government and Hyderabad district administration for their failure to drain out rainwater from Latifabad and Qasimabad talukas after two weeks.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club on Monday, he said that thousands of people were suffering from various diseases due to the stagnant water but the district administration had made no efforts to drain out rainwater.

He said that the district government had delayed relief operations under a conspiracy to misappropriate funds.

He said that he had raised the issue in the National Assembly on two occasions and appealed to the government to appoint an inquiry commission as to why the sewerage system had not been improved and why water could not be drained out despite allocation of huge funds.

He said that he had told the National Assembly that since the Sindh government and the district administration had failed to provide any relief to the people of Hyderabad, the federal government itself should intervene and take practical steps to ameliorate the lot of people.

He said that the federal government did not take notice of his submissions.

He said that the prime minister during his visit to Hyderabad had not cared to meet members of legislative assemblies.

He said that even the Pakistan Army had failed to drain out rainwater from Hyderabad though it had performed miracles within and outside the country during calamities.

He said that there could be only two reasons for inefficiency of the army adding that either it had become too weak after entering politics or it was not allowed to perform its duties.

He refused to believe that the army, which could build bridges on rivers in a few hours, could not drain out rainwater in two weeks.

He said that it was quite obvious that people were being intentionally punished for refusing to vote for the MQM in last elections.

He lashed out at the authorities for registering criminal cases against rain-affected people who had staged protest demonstrations against the accumulation of poisonous water in their localities.

The MMA leader appealed to the president and prime minister to direct the authorities to drain out stagnant water from the city.

MQM: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has started cleanliness week in areas from where rainwater has been drained out.