ISLAMABAD: Former chief minister of Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim requested the Supreme Court on Wednesday to constitute a judicial commission headed by one of its judges to investigate what he called bad governance, corruption, discrimination and abuse of authority in his province.

Blaming the Sindh government for the deplorable condition and deaths of a number of malnourished children in famine-hit Thar, Dr Rahim said in a petition that the commission should also fix responsibility and take stern action against members of the provincial government to avert such a calamity in future.

Dr Rahim, who belongs to Tharparkar, is working at present as federal relief coordinator to the prime minister.

The Supreme Court has already taken suo motu notice of the Thar tragedy and the plight of its people.

Dr Rahim alleged that certain MPAs belonging to the PPP who owned flour mills in Tharparkar were selling flour at prices which were beyond the reach of poor people of the area. Government employees were transferred on a large scale out of Tharparkar district and replaced by close relatives of MNAs and MPAs belonging to the PPP, he said, adding that District Commissioner Makhdoom Aqeeluzzaman and District Coordination Officer Makhdoom Shakeeluzzaman were sons of PPP-Parliamentarians chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

Postings and transfers were made on extraneous considerations with junior officers replacing senior ones.

This affected the entire system of governance and increased the crime rate in the district, the petition said.

Dr Rahim alleged that 50,000 teachers had been appointed on fake orders in Hala town committee in Matiari district, although there were no vacant posts.

He pleaded that the Sindh government should be dismissed because of bad governance and rampant corruption.