During the Karachi unrest case hearing, there were frequent foul cries of no-go areas in the city. Such a repetitive argument forced the Superior Court judges to make up their mind on delimitation of constituencies across the city. The court termed this action to break the monopoly of certain political parties (read MQM). The court also proposed to depute armed soldiers to oversee the re-confirmation of electoral lists. However, events of Dec 18 tell some other story. Yes, there are no-go areas on Karachi — not for political workers but for health workers. Four lady health workers were gunned down in cold blood in Pashtun majority localities in Karachi. Their fault: these unfortunate ladies were part of the team administrating polio drops to children in Karachi rural areas. Karachi had not seen this kind of madness until IDPs (internally displaced people) from FATA Swat started arriving in throngs from 2005 onwards. Most of them got accommodated in shanty towns in Karachi’s rural areas, re-creating the environment from where they came from. Along with IDPs, came the tribal culture and beliefs that polio drops are being administrated at the behest of the West to sterilise Muslim boys.
The citizens of Karachi shall reject this blot on their city’s name. They shall demand deputing of soldiers during polio campaign in the so-called tribal areas in Karachi which have become no-go areas for police. Pakistan is one of the only three countries (others are Afghanistan and Nigeria) where polio cases are on the rise while elsewhere in the world this contagious crippling disease is on retreat. Should we request suo motu action by the superior courts to force the government to take some real action to make the polio campaign safe for volunteers who are risking their lives for the sake of their nation’s future generations? Till now we are recognised as exporters of terrorism, but if we let these religious elements to get on with this anti-polio campaign, we will be the handicapped exporters.
Choice is in our hands.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
