Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening
all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Karachi kidney hill scam
There is no law on statute books which allows an irregularity and illegality, such as illegal occupation of land allocated as an amenity park to be regularized, even through an out-of-court settlement or compromise. Land once allocated for amenity park, exclusively becomes public property and nobody has the right to take over or occupy such property. There will be chaos if muscle power or threats and intimidation are allowed to prevail over what has been declared as unlawful by the Constitution. A state that allows such abuse to go on unchallenged, is a country doomed to become a Banana Republic like Somalia ruled by warlords.
Unfortunately, in 2005-2006 over 62 acres of land near Karsaz became a subject of dispute, in connivance with criminal patronage of Altaf Hussain-led MQM, and Overseas Housing Society, headed by a controversial lawyer of Karachi and his son, working as a pilot in state owned national airline. As usual what has been happening in Pakistan, where crime pays dividends, an out-of-court settlement was made, with patronage of corruption infected elements within the city and provincial government, and over 20 acres of land belonging to the public was surrendered to land mafia.
Such illegalities escalated after 2002 in Karachi when Altaf Hussain-affiliated MQM became a terror group, which was allowed to indulge in kidnapping for ransom and neither state, nor private land was safe from illegal occupation by mafia. All this occurred while Musharraf junta held power and the constitution became hostage to greed of a few. Thousands of acres of land belonging to railways, including that on which Karachi Circular Railway was built, was taken over by the mafia and till to-date people suffer.
ALI MALIK TARIQ
Lahore
Child labour
Today’s child labour is a serious issue in Pakistan. With 152 million children globally reported to be engaged in child labour, and half of these 73 million in hazardous child labour – work that endangers their health, safety and moral development – this remains a persistent and unacceptable challenge. Furthermore, the majority of these children tend to work in the agricultural secter and a similar percentage engage in work that is unpaid within the household.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 4.3 million children are engaged in forced labour i.e. the worst form of child labour (ILO 2017). It has also been documented that almost half of the population of child labourers is aged 5-11 years, the most formative age during which children would otherwise be receiving an education and developing their human and social capital. I request the Government of Pakistan to take steps for the redressal of this serious issue.
SANIA SHAHZADI
Rawalpindi
Traffic problem in Karachi
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards the serious problem of our city. Traffic jam has become a norm on the main roads of Karachi city during the peak hours especially in the evening people returning from offices to their homes are stuck on the road for several hours and travel daily through such a busy route has become a nightmare for commuters even the traffic police fail to control this chaos, with constables just standing idly on their positions.
As a formality while the traffic mess goes from bad to worse, people unfortunately, have no respect for traffic rules they violate the regulations blatantly and getaway easily Moreover, there is lack of proper parking places which forces people to park their vehicles anywhere they want. I urge the city district administration to devise a plan for this poor traffic system and come up with an effective solution to improve.
ISMAIL SIYAL
Karachi
Slow maintenance issues
Karachi is largest city in Pakistan and its problems are as big as that which includes Sui gas, electricity water shortage. But the main point is that no Karachi project is completed on its own time. If any project starts, all area around it is dug. Then the work after that is very slow; weeks’ work is done in months, months’ work is done in years.
Due to the road under construction, the entire area is covered with dust and there are traffic problems. Work is started suddenly; no plan or no alternative path is provided, due to which people face many difficulties. It is suggested that projects should be completed in time and people should be offered alternative routes so that they do not have to go through any kind of trouble. These issues need immediate attention of the concerned authorities
AMMAR AHMED KHAN
Karachi
Sewage system
The purpose of writing this letter is to bring into the notice of the concerned authorities the poor sewage system in our area. People in our locality are suffering a lot due to the faulty pipelines in the sewage system. Due to sewage problems, we have to undergo unhygienic conditions in our area.
People are not able to move around smoothly because of the stinking smell. Moreover, the garbage and polythene wastes are also a problem. These issues need immediate attention to be taken by the authorities concerned.
HAMMAD ULLAH HUSSAINI
Karachi
Keep
yourself safe
Wearing a mask before leaving home is an important step in keeping coronavirus at bay. Several studies have suggested that masks can reduce the risk of the contagion by 50 per cent. But masks must be washed regularly, just as we do with our clothes.
After every use, wash your mask with warm water and soap. Let it sun-dry before wearing it again. And always carry a clean, spare mask with you to ensure that you are covered.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
