KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah – who is also the Pakistan Peoples Party’s provincial chief – and Deputy Secretary General PPP Manzoor Wasan were issued show cause notices by the party leadership over reported negligence in Thar drought issue, DawnNews reported.

In a statement issued from Bilawal House here, the PPP leadership rejected the report presented to the media by Wasan, citing it “premature and insubstantial”.

Also read: Child mortality rate in Thar low: PPP

The notices were issued after reports about the famine situation in Thar were aired on local TV channels. Massive irregularities and government’s negligence in dealing with drought in Tharparkar district was shown in the reports.

The ruling party in Sindh also sought written explanation from the chief minister and the minister for prisons.

The statement said that a probe has been launched into the matter and will be headed by patron-in-chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari himself.

Bilawal is also observing the prevailing situation in Tharparkar, it added.

Know more: Thar drought

Speaking about the rising number of deaths from starvation in Thar, Chief Minister Shah earlier in the month had said that only one death was reported from the area in the past three months.

Shah was speaking on the floor of Sindh Assembly in response to the allegations made by the MQM lawmakers against the government about mishandling the famine situation in Thar. He said that the reason of the deaths in drought-hit Thar was the same as in other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Manzoor Wasan dissociated himself from the report on Thar situation attributed to him earlier regarding negligence on part of the Sindh government.

Speaking to DawnNews, he said that the report is being prepared and has not been presented as yet, adding that it will take him two more days to finalise the report.