HYDERABAD: Elderly politician Rasool Bux Palijo observed a token hunger strike along with some young activists and students at a camp set up at Hyder Chowk demanding resignation of the Sindh government for its “failure to cope with a drought-like situation in Thar where hunger and malnutrition have caus­ed deaths of many children”.

Describing the provincial government as inept, Mr Palijo accused it of having set new records of corruption while children were dying every day in Tharparkar, a region having the sixth largest coal reserves in the world.

Speaking to the media, the QAT leader said that the government failed to fulfil its prime responsibility of protecting the life and property of citizens.

Corrupt officials and other elements, in fact, usurped the food and medicines meant for starving and ailing Tharis, he alleged, and said the food and health minister must resign immediately over the issue of Thar.

MITHI: Saima and Qasim, the twins born to Mehn Wasayo Rahimoon, and a boy, Imtiaz Ahmed, son of Asghar Rahimoon, died in Galhau village near Diplo town on Friday evening due to what the grieved fathers said, unavailability of proper treatment of pneumonia and malnutrition-related diseases in their area. With the fresh fatalities, the unofficial toll of such diseases in Tharparkar since Jan 1 has risen to 138, sources said, adding that 11 children reportedly died in different areas of the district over the past 24 hours.

An infant, Shaukat Ali died in Char Noor village near Chhach­hro and a six-month baby Mar­riam Arbab Samejo died in a village near Islamkot town.

A baby yet to be named by his father Afaq Ahmed died at the Mithi Civil Hospital; an infant, Shahpuri, died in Jagan Loond village; a young girl, Hamida, died in Narori village and two newborns yet to named died in two different villages near Dahli town. The official toll of such deaths this month was, however, put at 42.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2016