An unconcern most callous

Man-made famine in Tharparkar

The famine in Tharparkar has killed 121 children so far, 32 expiring in one month alone. What is more these casualties took place in hospitals only while there is no record of dying children who could not be brought to hospitals on account of long distances or non- availability of transport. Acute shortage of fodder caused the death of cattle and camels which are the sole means of livelihood for thousands of people.

What happened in Tharparkar was no unpredictable catastrophe beyond human power like a major earthquake or a Tsunami. The famine did not burst out suddenly but unfolded over months. Thar has been facing drought for two years. Everybody in the government was aware of its implications. Why did the government fail to monitor the situation regularly and take timely measures to provide the much needed food, medicines and fodder? Had this been done the tragedy could have been averted. The government, however, displayed a callous unconcern. It was only last month when it allocated an insufficient quantity of wheat for the drought stricken area. This too failed to reach the affected population and instead continued to rot in the warehouses of the food department for lack of transport. The transporters had refused to lift wheat as they had not been paid their outstanding dues worth millions of rupees for similar delivery runs two years back. The chief minister is enjoying a second tenure and is supposed to know the conditions in Tharpakar. Why did he fail to take notice of wheat remaining undelivered?

The PPP leadership and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah finally took notice of the calamity on Thursday, long after the local and national media had brought the issue under limelight. This is an example of indifference to people’s suffering. On Thursday a complacent CM finally visited Tharparkar where he described the children’s death as nothing abnormal. He maintained that the cause of their death was physical ailments and not hunger. It was a travesty on top of a man–made tragedy to twist facts, as most children had died of malnutrition caused by lack of food. Others died for lack of medicines. The Mithi Civil Hospital has been found to be short of medicines and lacking in proper healthcare facilities. As the Sindh High Court took notice of the issue, the CM finally conceded that the distribution of wheat was not done properly. A few government officers were subsequently punished.

Famines don’t occur in functional democracies, the world was told by Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen. The incident is a reflection on the quality of democracy in the country. There is a need on the part of political parties to be more responsive and to improve governance. Unless it happens democracy will remain vulnerable.