KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the people of Tharparkar have not received even a penny from the Rs1 billion grant announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the federal government for the drought victims.

Mr Memon, who was talking to media persons after the session of the assembly on Monday, said there was a lot of difference between making an announcement and taking practical measures.

The minister, who was responding to questions pertaining to the drought situation in Tharparkar, said when the Thar issue would be taken up for discussion on Tuesday as per the motion carried by the house in Monday’s session, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah would disclose all facts and conspiracies against the Sindh government. “Whatever relief efforts have been made so far to mitigate the miseries of the people in Tharparkar have been made by the Sindh government,” he said, adding that the Sindh government had set up an inquiry committee which was reviewing all aspects of the issue.

The minister said the government regretted the death of children in Tharparkar but in the cover of the deaths a conspiracy hatched against the Sindh government would be exposed.

He said according to the figures provided to the prime minister by the federal health ministry and the provincial health departments, one million children died within five years of their birth and of the one million children, 200,000 died every year in Pakistan. He said the figures showed that 600 children died every day in Pakistan.

The minister said there were 150 districts in Pakistan but in the media only Tharparkar district was made the subject of children’s death.

Mr Memon said the prime minister on his visit to Tharparkar had termed the situation in the district serious and announced Rs1 billion relief, but not a single penny was received from the announced relief amount, and the media’s silence over the issue ‘deserved a salute’.

Recalling that even today relief work was being carried out at full speed in Tharparkar where not only the chief minister had paid at least six visits but also ministers of the provincial cabinet and MNAs and MPAs of the PPP had remained there to monitor the relief work.

The minister said the prime minister on his visit had made comparison of Tharparkar with Cholistan and pointing out that although Cholistan did face famine, the situation did not take a turn like that in Tharparkar but the present situation in Cholistan was before every one from where 90 per cent population had already migrated while from Tharparkar even 20 per cent population had not shifted.

Earlier, when an adjournment motion of Poonjo Bheel and Zubair Ahmad of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement regarding discussion on the Thar situation was taken up by the house, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, after hearing the point of view of minister of parliamentary affairs Dr Sikandar Mandhro and the arguments on its admissibility from its movers, ruled out of order as it did not relate substantially to a definite matter as required under the rules.

In the motion, the lawmakers who belonged to the MQM wanted to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance pertaining to the famine in Tharparkar due to which disease spread in humans as well as in cattle and more than 121 children died.

Before the ruling was given by the chair, leader of the opposition Syed Fasial Sabzwari and MQM parliamentary party leader Syed Sardar Ahmad on a point of order drew the attention of the chair and said the motion should not be opposed on technical grounds as it related to a pure humanitarian issue and was aimed at providing an opportunity to the government to take the house on board about the measures taken by the government to mitigate sufferings of the Thar people.

Leader of the house Syed Qaim Ali Shah said he himself was keen to have discussion on the Thar situation so that the people at large be taken on board on the steps so far taken and the measures still being undertaken by the provincial government to mitigate the suffering of the people. He suggested fixing of a date to have a threadbare discussion for two hours on the issue. “This could be on Tuesday or Wednesday,” he said.

On a suggestion of Mr Sabzwari, the minister for parliamentary affairs moved a motion for fixing Tuesday for discussion, which was carried by the house.

Nine bills passed into law

While a privilege motion of MPA Khairunisa Mughal could not be taken up as she was not present in the house, the chair informed the house that the governor had given his consent to nine bills.

The bills pertained to emergency procurement, prevention of defacement of property, Sindh solid waste management board, Sindh land revenue amendment, registration Sindh amendment, Sindh healthcare commission, Sindh building control amendment, and Sindh service tribunal amendment bills.

Besides, the government bill 8 of 2014 — the provincial motor vehicles amendment bill, 2014 — was introduced and on the motion of the minister of parliamentary affairs the election of standing committees and other committees was deferred for two days with the direction from the speaker to all parliamentary party leaders to finalise names of their members for various committees and be provided to the parliamentary affairs minister by Wednesday. He said the absence of committees was affecting the business of the house.

The item about presentation of the report of a special committee pertaining to the firing incident by a navy commander was also deferred to the next session of the assembly.

The house adopted the resolution tabled by Jam Madad Ali of the PML-F paying tribute to Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, aka Sooriah Badshah, on his 71st death anniversary and saluted him for his courage and incessant struggle for freedom against the British Raj.

The speaker also allowed Nand Kumar to take the seat of the leader of the PML-F parliamentary party in place of its MPA Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh as per communication from its Sindh president Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi.

The house also called for a judicial inquiry into the killing of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Movement leaders Maqsood Qureshi and Salman Wado. This demand was made by lawmakers across the house when the names of the deceased were being mentioned for offering Fateha at the start of the proceedings with Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the chair. Condemning the killing, Naeem Kharal, Dr Abdul Sattar Rajpar, Ghulam Quadir Chandio of the PPP, Jam Madad Ali of the PML-F, Dr Seema Zia of the PTI, Ashfaq Mangi of the MQM and others demanded that their killers be exposed and given exemplary punishment.