ISLAMABAD: For the last about a week, Dilshad Ahmed has been suffering from diarrhoea at the sit-in of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).

The 40-year-old came from the Khanewal district in the southern Punjab to participate in the sit-in three weeks ago.

“I reached Islamabad to replace my younger brother who was participating in the sit-in of the PAT,” Dilshad told Dawn on Wednesday.

He said his brother was working in a local government school and it was difficult for him to continue the sit-in due to the pressure from the school administration.

“I visited the dispensary set up by the administration of the sit-in where a doctor advised me to eat well-cooked food and take rest. But it is difficult for me to follow the advice of the doctor at the sit-in.”

Dilshad said the quality of food being provided to the participants of the sit-in had deteriorated with each passing day.

Another participant, Adnan Mirza, 20, from Lalamusa in the district of Gujrat, is suffering from skin infection in his leg.

“I was expecting that the sit-in would continue for a week that’s why I brought along only two suits.”

He said it was difficult for the participants to stay at the sit-in day and night due to the unhygienic environment at the venue on the Constitution Avenue.

Salma Khwaja, 34, a resident of Lahore, said she contracted malaria four days ago.

“Though I am using a net to protect myself from mosquitoes, it is difficult to recover from the illness due to my stay at the sit-in,” she said.

“But my husband wants to continue his stay at the sit-in by following the directions of PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri,” she added.

Jamil Gujjar, a supporter of the PAT from Jhelum, told Dawn that the management of the sit-in did not like the sit-in participants visiting hospitals in the capital.

“Whenever the participants of the sit-in wanted to visit government hospitals for treatment, the representatives of PAT warned them that the police could arrest them.”

But Jamil said he visited Polyclinic but the police never intercepted him.

He also said the quality of food was not good though the PAT leadership made full payment for it.

“The PAT leadership is spending Rs0.3 million on food for one time,” he said.

Dr Noor Kamil, who has been performing duty at the sit-in for about three weeks, told Dawn that the sufferings of the participants were increasing due to the unhygienic environment and the prolong sit-in.

“About 75 per cent of the participants of the PAT sit-in are suffering from diarrhoea, malaria, skin, throat and chest infections.”

When contacted, PAT spokesman Umar Riaz Abbasi said the party leadership was trying to provide food to the participants on time but it was difficult for the marchers to live in such an unhygienic environment.

He said the PAT leadership was in the process of relieving the participants before Eidul Azha.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014