PPP, MQM busy politicking over Thar

E-Paper | June 13, 2026

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Faisal Sabzwari on Thursday said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was responsible for the affairs of the province.

MQM leaders were talking to reporters outside the Sindh Assembly building.

Sabzwari said the chief minister was trying to hide his government's incompetency by citing lack of health facilities as the reason of famine, adding that Shah had, time and again, admitted it on the floor of the Sindh Assembly that malnutrition in the region was the actual cause.

The MQM leader said putting blame on the party's former health minister was uncalled for as the programme to end malnutrition in the region was being administered by the province's planning and development department — headed by the chief minister himself.

He further said that Shah used to praise Dr Saghir Ahmed's work on the floor of the assembly.

Read: Qaim dismisses child deaths from Thar famine

Sabzwari lashed out at the provincial government for its lack of seriousness over the issue. "We should be ashamed of ourselves that children are dying rather than finding excuses," the MQM leader said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Shah said that deaths of children being reported in Tharparkar were largely on account of maternity related complications and not because of hunger or food.

The chief minister also urged the media to show some large-heartedness now as it had been very ‘generous’ in its criticism of the government’s performance regarding Thar.

During his press conference, Shah was quite critical of former Sindh health minister and MQM Coordination Committee member Dr Saghir Ahmed and said that he had never visited Thar.

“He should have visited Thar when he was the minister and should have apprised himself of the situation. He should have heard from doctors here,” the Sindh chief minister said.

He maintained that the health ministry had been with the MQM for the last 20 years. “We got it [health ministry] only a few weeks back,” he said.

The Thar desert is facing drought conditions for the last three years. Famine has triggered large scale migration of marginalised groups.

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Jalbani Baloch

Nov 13, 2014 03:07pm

Parting ways with the Government will not absolve MQM from its portion of blame for not having done anything for the people of Sindh including Tharparkar, except with its main focus on the core areas, where MQM has its representation, ignoring the adjoining parts of Karachi with representation of other communities. The catastrophic situation in Tharparkar is not created in a single day, but it is a culmination of continued ignorance and failure of the Sindh Government, of which, MQM has been part of it, from successive years. PPP has totally failed in the development of Sindh, and it is expected that it will face the bitter reality in the upcoming elections, where the people of Sindh from Kashmore to Karachi will rise and create a dent in the vote bank of both PPP and MQM.

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Shabbir

Nov 13, 2014 03:14pm

Mud slinging and political point scoring...

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Zak

Nov 13, 2014 03:19pm

Whilst you both jostle, just send aid and feed the affected people, your bickering can go on. So much politicking , such little governance.

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Sabeen

Nov 13, 2014 03:20pm

One wonders if the PPPP leaders including Zardari and Bilawal think about the starving people of Thar when they eat three/four/five times a day

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Zeeshan

Nov 13, 2014 03:38pm

Politics of 90's is on the way. We all know that none of you are capable of serving the country.

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saroj

Nov 13, 2014 03:42pm

Qaim Ali Shah should take serious steps to help the people of famine hit areas of Tharparker. He has been the CM for decades now and PPP ha always been ruling Sindh. It is high time that he should do something for his Sindhi bhai and Sindh dharti Maa.

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Einstein Babar

Nov 13, 2014 03:42pm

@Jalbani Baloch Ministries which handle interior and urban Sindh's core issues are with PPP. Go back, check again and than comment

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khanm

Nov 13, 2014 03:45pm

I wish if we have an ethics background. It doesn't mean we're perfect. But we tried to set an entirely different bar for politics in Pakistan. that's based on ethics and first principles and political philosophy, and not this constant bickering of, 'Are you Right or Left?' who is Right or Wrong... what is the end achievement.... nothing just human suffering...

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Masoud

Nov 13, 2014 04:08pm

Honestly speaking PPP has done very little to address the plight of the peoples. The Sindh CM is quite an old man, it is difficult for him to vision real development in Sindh. A good work oriented comparatively young CM can better handle to problems confronting the province. May be they don't want to develop this province.

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Key Points

Nov 13, 2014 04:49pm

I am trying to find any news what MQM has done for people of Pakistan? Any achievements to speak of? I know they are good at in-and-out of coalition, good at in-and-out of Ministry, their leaders are good a long long speeches, they are capable of forcing city 'phayya-jam strikes' and you've to close you shop whether or not you belong to MQM? Oh' what a party.

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Whiskey Khan

Nov 13, 2014 04:52pm

The silence of the young and old leaders of PPP shows theirs disconnect and incapability of handling national crises. Qaim has been made the sacrificial lamb. The Young " Hot Rod " (Bilawal) is nowhere to be seen!!!! This is the New PPP in action, Mastes of the Blame Game

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Key Points

Nov 13, 2014 04:53pm

@Jalbani Baloch AGREE 100%. Let PTI and PAT take away votes from MQM and PPP so there would not be this in-out-in-out drama of opposition party sell out for ministry jobs. People of Sindh are not stupid.

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Haider

Nov 13, 2014 04:56pm

Both federal and provincial governments must resign for the ongoing the tragedy in Thar. If not the governments at least the prime minister and chief minister should resign. Both are responsible for taking this matter lightly.

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Babay

Nov 13, 2014 05:13pm

Let us watch the incompetancy of both opportunist parties will join again together to create more devastation in province in general and Thar in particular. Bhai and Billo cooperation expected soon before December 25 when there will be historic gathering on Quides masolum.

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Faiza G. R. Bhatt

Nov 13, 2014 09:41pm

can you not just send aid to the suffering people and then continue battling it out, you status quo parties?

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john

Nov 14, 2014 03:46pm

@Jalbani Baloch Please report actual fact, which is MQM was told to mind its own business and stay in Karachi and Hydrabad for which it had limited funds in name only.

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Tariq

Nov 15, 2014 05:33pm

So whatever happened to 'Mohajirs province' demand.......supposedly another blackmailing tactics with no substance

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Dr.Kamar Afghan

Nov 19, 2014 05:09pm

It obviously looks that the PPP and the MQM are at each others throats once again.This mud slinging,accusations and counter accusations have become a norm for these two parties and people are fed up with both of them.The MQM cannot get away from this behavior because no matter what they claim,they have been equally responsible for the calamities SIndh has faced during their joint rule since 2008.Both the parties seem to be drifting away into their possible demise as they are quite unpopular and have created a vacuum which PTI will try to exploit,but the politics in Sindh has been strange and one cannot predict the future political landscape as yet, as any thing can change in the future weeks and months.It is unfortunate that there is no third group from within the home grown leadership which the people can trust as an alternative force in order to break their monopoly as I am sure the people Sindh are fed up from these two parties and would prefer a third party preferably from the local political groups which might lead them in order to bring relief.;

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