Fwd: 193 children die of hunger with wheat rotting in godowns
sameeta ahmed
ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – HUNGER ALERT
PROGRAMME
Hunger Alert Case: AHRC-HAG-001-2014
10 March 2014
------------------------------------------------------
PAKISTAN: 193 children died of hunger while wheat rots in
godowns
ISSUES: Right to food; inhuman and degrading treatment;
hunger, starvation, corruption; impunity; rule of law
------------------------------------------------------
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received
disturbing information regarding 193 children starving to
death in Thar district of Pakistan. The authorities have
conceded half of the number while trying to attribute them
to different diseases but independent sources have
conclusive evidence that they are all caused by extreme
poverty, chronic shortage of drinking water due to a
years-old drought causing a famine. Serious lack of health
facilities in the area which has just one 74 bed hospital
serving a population of 1.5 million further complicates the
situation and has given rise to serious distress migration
to nearby districts. To make matters worse for the victims,
the provincial government has confessed to the
government’s negligence in distributing wheat packets
released to address the situation and letting it rot while
children were dying. Most of the victims belong to the
Dalit community of minority Hindu religion and it is
believed that governmental apathy and inaction emanates from
the institutionalized persecution of religious minorities in
Pakistan.
The AHRC urges the provincial and federal government to
ensure that all measures are taken to stop any further
deaths and the officials guilty of criminal dereliction of
duty are prosecuted.
CASE NARRATIVE:
A total of 193 deaths of children have been reported from
the Thar district of Sindh province over the last three
months. Though the governmental authorities are trying to
attribute these deaths to different ailments, there is
strong evidence that hunger, chronic shortage of water,
extreme poverty and lack of health facilities are the real
reason behind them. The situation is so grim that the Chief
Minister of Sindh had to concede that 60 children have in
fact died in the area during past two months but blamed the
deaths on cold and mother-child health conditions. He also
ordered the release of 60,000 bags of wheat (each of 100
kilo grams) from the official store for immediate
distribution but asserted that the children did not perish
to the famine conditions prevailing in the area. He
has also declared a 200,000 Pakistani rupees (USD 1960)
compensation for the bereaved families. It must be noted
that until now only 2,000 bags of wheat have been
distributed as against those totally released.
Even if one takes that claim on face value, the government
cannot absolve itself of its criminal dereliction of duty as
it has not invested in building health facilities in the
area. The situation of health services is so dismal that
there is just one specialty 74 bed hospital catering to a
population of more than 1.5 million. The famine and
consequent hunger have definitely caused serious health
issues in children like iron deficiency and other serious
deficiencies related with malnutrition. The lack of medical
facilities coupled with drought conditions going on for
years in the area has resulted in ill health of mothers,
thereby making them vulnerable to bear under nourished
children. The lack of serious action by the government over
the issue can be understood from the fact that half of the
posts of doctors are lying vacant for years and barring the
hospital in Mithi no hospital has a lady doctor. Most of the
victims belong to the Dalit community of minority Hindu
religion and it is believed that governmental apathy and
inaction emanates from the institutionalized persecution of
religious minorities in Pakistan.
It is not that the government was not aware of the grim
situation as it has been building up for years of drought
with last year itself receiving less than 100 millimetre of
rainfall as against a minimum of 300 to avert drought
conditions. Further, the authorities have violated the clear
policy of declaring an emergency if the rainfall is acutely
short of expected by August end but such declaration was
never made this season.
Local and national media have also been raising the issue
relentlessly as the area does not has any irrigation system
and is completely dependent upon rain water for everything
from drinking water to irrigation. Still the government had
failed to recognise the severity of the issue and put
preventive measures in place taking advantage of the bumper
wheat production last year in the rest of Pakistan. The
authorities woke up only after foreign media started raising
the issue of rising death toll and started taking cosmetic
measures like punishing the superintendent of Mithi hospital
instead of addressing the real issues causing the crisis.
The inefficient handling of the situation has led to the
Army being pressed into service but this is a measure too
little and too late. Worse even, most of the relief work is
centered around Mithi, district headquarters, while there is
no decline in the number of deaths in the countryside. There
are no significant attempts of making the relief material
reach those in distress in far flung areas of this huge
district. Forget relief, no statistical data is being
collected by the authorities thus denying those affected
from any claim on the relief.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below demanding
immediate intervention and asking for taking concrete
measures to arrest the deaths of children due to hunger. You
may also request them to take punitive actions against the
officials who derelict in their duty and are therefore
responsible for such huge loss of life.
The AHRC is also writing separate letters to the Chairperson
of the Committee on Rights of the Child and UN Special
Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief calling for
their intervention in the case.
To support this case, please click here: 
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear ..........,
PAKISTAN: 124
children died of hunger with wheat rotting in godowns
Name of the victims: Children of Thar district in
Sindh, Pakistan
Name of alleged perpetrators: Health and Supply
officers of the region
Place of incident: Thar, Sindh Pakistan.
Time of incident: January onwards
A total of 193 deaths of children have been reported from
the Thar district of Sindh province over the last three
months. Though the governmental authorities are trying to
attribute these deaths to different ailments, there is
strong evidence that hunger, chronic shortage of water,
extreme poverty and lack of health facilities are the real
reason behind them. The situation is so grim that the Chief
Minister of Sindh had to concede that 60 children have in
fact died in the area during past two months but blamed the
deaths on cold and mother-child health conditions. He also
ordered the release of 60,000 bags of wheat (each of 100
kilo grams) from the official store for immediate
distribution but asserted that the children did not perish
to the famine conditions prevailing in the area. He
has also declared a 200,000 Pakistani rupees (USD 1960)
compensation for the bereaved families. It must be noted
that until now only 2,000 bags of wheat have been
distributed as against those totally released.
Even if one takes that claim on face value, the government
cannot absolve itself of its criminal dereliction of duty as
it has not invested in building health facilities in the
area. The situation of health services is so dismal that
there is just one specialty 74 bed hospital catering to a
population of more than 1.5 million. The famine and
consequent hunger have definitely caused serious health
issues in children like iron deficiency and other serious
deficiencies related with malnutrition. The lack of medical
facilities coupled with drought conditions going on for
years in the area has resulted in ill health of mothers,
thereby making them vulnerable to bear under nourished
children. The lack of serious action by the government over
the issue can be understood from the fact that half of the
posts of doctors are lying vacant for years and barring the
hospital in Mithi no hospital has a lady doctor. Most of the
victims belong to the Dalit community of minority Hindu
religion and it is believed that governmental apathy and
inaction emanates from the institutionalized persecution of
religious minorities in Pakistan.
It is not that the government was not aware of the grim
situation as it has been building up for years of drought
with last year itself receiving less than 100 millimetre of
rainfall as against a minimum of 300 to avert drought
conditions. Further, the authorities have violated the clear
policy of declaring an emergency if the rainfall is acutely
short of expected by August end but such declaration was
never made this season.
Local and national media have also been raising the issue
relentlessly as the area does not has any irrigation system
and is completely dependent upon rain water for everything
from drinking water to irrigation. Still the government had
failed to recognise the severity of the issue and put
preventive measures in place taking advantage of the bumper
wheat production last year in the rest of Pakistan. The
authorities woke up only after foreign media started raising
the issue of rising death toll and started taking cosmetic
measures like punishing the superintendent of Mithi hospital
instead of addressing the real issues causing the crisis.
The inefficient handling of the situation has led to the
Army being pressed into service but this is a measure too
little and too late. Worse even, most of the relief work is
centered around Mithi, district headquarters, while there is
no decline in the number of deaths in the countryside. There
are no significant attempts of making the relief material
reach those in distress in far flung areas of this huge
district. Forget relief, no statistical data is being
collected by the authorities thus denying those affected
from any claim on the relief.
I, therefore, urge you to
1. Ensure that the concrete steps are taken to stop the
deaths,
2. Ensure that the health facilities in the area are beefed
up and brought at par with the demands of the situation
3. Ensure that the officials responsible for holding up the
wheat in stores instead of distributing it are
prosecuted,
4. Ensure that steps are taken to build an irrigation system
capable of fighting the recurrent droughts in the area,
5. Ensure that a system for monitoring and addressing
such crisis is put in place for not letting such incidents
repeat.
Sincerely,
.......
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mian Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secr...@cabinet.gov.pk or ps...@pmsectt.gov.pk
2. Federal Minister of Law and Human Rights
Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: con...@molaw.gov.pk
3. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9213452
Email: ma...@supremecourt.gov.pk
4. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister Sindh,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
Email: pres...@cmsindh.gov.pk
5. Mr. Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan
Federal Minister For National Food Security &
Research
Phone : 92-51-9210088
Fax : 92-51-9205912
Address: Ministry of National Food Security &
Research,
3rd Floor, B-Block, Pak Secretariat,
Islamabad . PAKISTAN
Email : mini...@mnfsr.gov.pk
6. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
Thank you
Hunger Alerts Programme
Right to Food Programme (foodj...@ahrc.asia)
Asian Human Rights Commission (u...@ahrc.asia)
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Member, ICOMOS Pakistan National Committee
A Ercelan
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