EVEN in a generally underdeveloped country, it is easy to identify those in positions of governance that have taken their responsibilities with less seriousness than many of their counterparts. In this regard, the PPP’s performance in Sindh has, time and again, stood out as being utterly pathetic when it comes to the uplift and welfare of the millions in whose name it governs.

Not too long ago, regular reports of infants and children dying in Thar — from preventable illnesses — led to much consternation among the public. But the government had nothing to offer except platitudes. What concrete action has been taken to address the lack of basic health facilities, poor health awareness among the residents of Thar, and chronic malnutrition?

In terms of the latter challenge, it was as far back as January 2011 that Unicef warned that the levels of malnutrition in rural Sindh could be compared to those in Chad and Niger. Now, it appears, the situation has deteriorated even further. The latest UN report on gender equality, Turning Promises into Action: Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda, highlights how females among the most disadvantaged groups in Sindh fare even worse in terms of malnutrition than their counterparts in Nigeria.

The report makes for shocking reading. To quote just one of the several unpalatable facts it contains, 40.6pc of the poorest rural Sindhi women are underweight, as compared to 18.9pc of Fulani women from the poorest rural households in Nigeria.

True, the problem is not restricted to Sindh alone.

The report also provides details of how overall food insecurity amongst women in the country is 11 percentage points higher than amongst men, as compared to, say, Albania where females were seven percentage points less likely than men to report the same.

Even so, given the repeated alarm bells that have over the years been rung regarding malnutrition in rural Sindh in particular, stringent criticism is warranted.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to discern what it will take to bestir the PPP behemoth.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2018