There has been an organized gang of more than a dozen women originally belonging to far-flung rural areas of Punjab coming to the provincial metropolis – the lively city of Lahore – to get, what they call, "their share" from the wealthy families by breaking into their houses while serving as maids.

This is becoming a growing phenomenon in a society like Pakistan. The News on Sunday (TNS) found some interesting aspects of this gang while following investigations into the recently nabbed gang of 13 by Lahore police's Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), the unit that officiated to tackle organised crime.

All 13 women are related to each other; they are backed by their families in the areas of Manjka and Bachwana Mir-ka of district Faisalabad in central Punjab. They come with full intentions to break into the wealthy houses and steal money, jewellery and ornaments. They are into this business for years and lavishly spend on their boyfriends.

The crime committed in connivance with some of the husbands (still at large) also included a theft worth Rs 15 million in one of the localities of the city called Naseerabad, police investigator Haider Ali said. Six of them have already been released on bail by the court. "The bails are moved by the persons working behind the masters of such gangs," the policeman said.

The CIA police, last week, claimed the arrest of 13 criminal women involved in house robberies. Police also recovered stolen articles (gold and ornaments etc) worth Rs 5.9 million from this gang. The women accused of robberies, thefts and breaking into houses of their masters/mistresses included Naheed, Shazia, Safia, Mumtaz, Asifa, Rukhsana, Shahida, Shamim, Razia, Guriya and others. The arrest, TNS came to know, was made with the help of one victim Mrs Fakhra Shariq who claims the theft of jewellery worth Rs 20 million from her house by the members of the same gang. This gang was functioning since years, he maintained.

Till now, there have been 14 cases traced in Lahore in different localities of the city including Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Model Town, Shadman, Johar Town, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Factory Area, Naseerabad, Sattukatla and Sanda, Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP-CIA) Malik Daud told TNS. He said they had confessed a number of robberies and thefts in the city's posh localities including Defence, Gulberg, Model Town and jewellery shops in various areas. "They were arrested from a park in DHA area," he said, adding, "We received the information from our informer and raided at the spot." Actually, this gang comprises of more than three dozen such members and many are still at large. The police is trying to get hold of them.

Razia Bibi, who is in late 20s and is mother of seven, is also one of the main members of the gang. "I came to Lahore with the intention to commit thefts and steal money from houses around six months back," she told TNS in a sitting where police was not around. "This is all about poverty," said illiterate Razia whose house, according to her, is one of the biggest in the village. "Though my husband also works in the area it is quite hard to bring up seven children with a very small amount of money."

Naheed, who gives almost half of what she steals, to her boyfriend and spends while dating at different places, said they go to wealthy households and beg for work. "We work on the target in first three fours days and the next three to four days are to accomplish the task," she said, adding, "Sometimes, we work in small groups." Recalling an incident in Gulberg, she said, "one of my gang members was sweeping outside a posh house and I went inside to empty the ornaments and jewellery filled drawer of the mistress in her room. It was a quick operation, she said, while turning her face down. "We were four and divided the gold 40gm each."

The interesting aspect of this story, revealed to TNS, is that all of these gang members managed the job as house maids without showing any identity card or address from where they originally belonged. They were living in small two to three-room quarters in different localities after coming to Lahore.

Mrs Shariq, talking to TNS, said that it was one of her biggest mistakes in life to give job to these women without proper identification. "I hired them on the suggestion of a gardener and they looted my house within three to four days. Now, I am waiting for the police to recover the money and valuables. I am under debt now. I have received only Rs four million so far." Mrs Shariq, who also tried to trace these women after theft in her house in May 2009, knew that these women were operating like a gang and were fully backed by the local lords and families in their areas. "They have big houses and luxurious cars at their village houses but they seek cheap jobs in the city to make these thefts possible," she said, while recalling her one visit to the areas of these women in Faisalabad.

Amna Ulfat, a member of the Punjab Assembly, who also claims herself a victim of this gang, also regretted giving job to these women without any identification. "There was much burden of elections at that time and they came to me and asked for some work and I hired them," she said, adding, "I believe that this gang is operational since years." Ulfat now intends to propose a bill to stop this type of crime and negligence of not maintaining the data and identification of maids.

In the recent past, 80 percent of thefts in DHA, Lahore were done by housemaids and servants, according to the DHA security officials. "This was mainly because of non-registration of such servants. People were hiring them without any identification or guarantee," one of the senior security officials of DHA Security Force told TNS, adding, "The DHA has started registration of servants in the locality. Around 12,000 servants, maids, drivers have been registered. There is no theft report in the houses where the servants have been registered and issued an identification card after thorough scrutiny, he pointed out. "Unless people feel that it is their primary responsibility to have identification of the servants before hiring them, thefts cannot be checked. The mistresses should be judicious in hiring domestic help because such gangs are ready to do the job even on very low salaries." Most of the gangs are from South Punjab, the official said.

Police don't think that it is only poverty and class-disparity behind the thefts and robberies in the houses of well-off families. "These are criminals and police have been asking people not to hire servants without any identification," Senior Superintendent Police (Investigation) Zulfiqar Hameed said. "What police can do is try to trace them with the help of people and take them to the court after making cases but actually the government should come up with rules binding people not to hire unknown people as domestic servants," he mentioned. The SSP also said that criminal gangs were also using housemaids in posh localities to get information about their targets.

Thefts in posh localities of big cities are quite common in the country. In January 2009, Karachi police, reportedly, also nabbed a gang of 13-housemaids involved in robberies throughout the country and recovered jewellery and other household items. The women were arrested from different parts of the city. They had male accomplices. The gang leaders would trace needy women from various villages and offered them job in different houses in the city. After some promises and attractions, they were also placed in posh areas of Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Quetta as housemaids, according to the police.

'I will drain

Long draughts of quiet

As a purgation; 

Remember

Twice daily

Who I am;  

Will lie o' nights

In the bony arms

Of Reality and be comforted.'

So what is the most appropriate New Year resolution to make for a Pakistani or for the Pakistani nation?  

As the end of the year draws close, this question will come our way more and more frequently. All of them out there -- the TV and radio presenters, RJs and the like -- will hurl it on us as the countdown gets underway.  

In fact I can recall having been a part of at least one such call-in the other day. As a female radio presenter invited listeners to text their new-year resolutions, zillions of responses were received in no time.  

Most of them, however, sounded quite trivial to me such as losing weight, changing the towel, adopting a new habit, moving computer from the study to bedroom, changing the e-mail password, thinking of new excuses for taking leaves, doing less laundry and using more deodorant, giving up chocolates, reading manuals, not worrying much, growing the hair longer, straightening the hair straighter, not hanging out with girls, not giving missed calls, not forwarding text messages, chatting more, reading less, procrastinating, playing, exercising, giggling, cooking, bathing, cleaning, rocking, rushing, stopping… Oh! I got to stop it!  

But who am I to ridicule what others think? After all, a resolution for the New Year is a fairly relative thing, and obviously I should have the moral courage to appreciate and respect others' views.

Take, for instance, the first one -- 'losing weight'. As I pondered over it over the next few hours, the significance of tackling obesity dawned upon me with a lot more clarity than I could ever imagine. I ended up concluding that perhaps losing weight merits being on the top of our priority lists.  

How? I knew you'd ask this question. Well, only recently, the world leaders gathered at Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference to hammer a political agreement on the climate change, to cut greenhouse emissions and to somehow push back the snowballing specter of global warming.

The importance of the event can be gauged well from hopes and expectations pinned on the final outcome. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon exhorted the delegates to 'seal a deal' and described the conference as 'a decisive moment'. In the words of the Danish Prime Minister, the Copenhagen Summit was an "opportunity the world cannot afford to miss". To the media, it was 'Hopenhagen'.  

But what, after all, is the relevance of the Copenhagen Climate Summit to 'losing weight' for someone here in the Land of the Pure. Why this arduous argument, apparently leading us nowhere?  

Well, the part of the world we live in is one of the hardest hit when it comes to global warming. In the Himalayas, average temperatures are rising much faster than elsewhere, which means snow will melt quickly and glaciers will begin to vanish. The glacial meltdown will trigger floods and droughts and famines -- chaos for billions of people. 

The Maldives' cabinet met under the sea and that of Nepal at the Mount Everest base camp to highlight the threat, while many of the Pakistanis are planning to reduce their weight in 2010.  

Pakistan's 'youthful' response is no less significant as mass-scale obesity running parallel to natural disasters like floods and earthquakes can potentially compound the situation and cause more casualties. So why not 'weight loss'!  

Still, many would argue against the need to worry about these things. We have other, more important affairs to attend to. Why not something serious: something interesting, something newsworthy -- something urgent! 

As for the climate change and its consequences, we have systems in place and authorities in charge to do what we normally do. We have created a disaster management body to work out plans on disaster preparedness and risk reduction; there's an earthquake-related authority all set to serve the nation anytime. The bridge will hopefully be crossed when it is reached.  

Also, the foreign aid will come as naturally as any calamity, won't it? So let's have fun. Let us not worry about the surge in glacial melting, threats to biodiversity or mountain ecosystems, impending water and food crises, or even the repercussions for our agro-based economy, which inevitably will trickle down to our exports or industry. We have time.  

The reports on climate change and global warming are not for us, at least for now. What is more, could it be that by bringing up such 'alarmist' future projections and studies, 'they' want us to hold a cabinet meeting somewhere in the mountains? 

Sorry, guys; our cabinet is too obese for any such misadventure -- doctors advise otherwise.

* Exhibition titled 'Resonant Spaces' at The Drawing Art Gallery till Dec 28, showcases works of Madiha Suboor, Zunaira Sardar, Haider Ali Jan, Mithra Bidrie, Sonia Ejaz, Naveed Hussain and Sofia Saqib. Gallery timings: 5:30pm to 8:00pm.

* Exhibition of Works by Ayaz Jokhio at Grey Noise till Apr 5.

* Lecture by Professor Fawzia Afzal Khan at Cafe Bol on Edward Said: 'The Decolonizer as Universal Humanist' on Thursday, Dec 24 at 7:30pm. Her focus will be on Edward Said's writings on Palestine. Time: 7:30 pm.

* Exhibition titled 'Last Morning', new work by Ahsan Jamal, at Rohtas Gallery till Dec 28. The gallery remains open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

* Exhibition of paintings by Salman Farooqi at The Collectors Galleria till Dec 28. The gallery remains open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.

* Week end Cycle Ride to start from Zakir Tikka Intersection, Sarwar Road today at 10:15am. It will end at 12:30 pm. Its one year since Critical Mass Lahore started.

service

Like most living species, human beings also show variation. Variation can be inherited or could be a cause of environmental and social factors. Any cognitive disorder is also a variation. From Down's syndrome to autism; cognitive problems caused by disorders lead to a restricted behaviour of the sufferer when it comes to cognition.The term cognition refers to a faculty for the processing of information, applying knowledge and changing preferences.

In layman language such sufferers are "special"; the term which elicits minor sufferers is "special children". These children harbour special needs. Numerous institutions cater to the needs of special children worldwide. However, a dearth of such institutions has always existed in our country. The special children rooting from lower-middle class did not really have a proper school till the creation of Ameen Maktab in 1961. It is a non-profit school which was started by Syed Yaqoob Shah. It enrolls children who are mentally handicapped irrespective of their socio-economic background. It works with The Pakistan Society for the Welfare of Mentally Retarded Children which is a charitable organisation. Amin Maktab is registered with the Punjab Education Department, Lahore as a recognised Special Education Institution.

Ameen Maktab provides a joyful and comfortable environment to the special children in order to facilitate their growth and development. I was greeted by a jubilant crowd as I walked across the corridors and into the concourse where the Movie Period was in full swing. The children were being entertained by Aamir Khan's Taray Zameen Par and got excited at the sight of a stranger. They welcomed the new visitor by waving. These children were like any other school children; wearing uniforms with black school shoes and neatly combed hair.

Ameen Maktab has a decent campus located in Gulberg with fourteen classrooms, four vocational rooms all converging upon an open air concourse which is the focal point of school activity. The structure is such that it requires minimal maintenance. A large number of institutional and private donors shared the cost of the project which was completed as a community effort in 1988.

This institution has an Outreach Project which encompasses a population of 37,458 comprising 7661 households. There are 19,983 children under 16, of whom 195 have been found to be mentally handicapped. When the teams reach these children; they are assessed and their special needs are determined. Soon after which they train their families and in looking after them. Unicef, BCCI Foundation, National Zakat Foundation, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Government of Pakistan and the Punjab Government have also helped in the expansion of this project.

Children admitted to the institution are first put under assessment where their history is examined and their behaviour is observed. Standardised assessment instruments are used for the assessment of a child's intelligence like 'Draw a Man' test. If a child is unable to perform in that test then a development chart is used to determine his or her mental age. Then they are categorised on the basis of their respective IQ levels which range from Profound (I.Q. below 20), Severe (I.Q. 20-35), Moderate (I.Q. 38-51), Mild (IQ 52-67) to Borderline (68-83). The fee structure is variable based on the affordability of the parents. The monthly fee per child usually varies from Rs.3000 to Rs.50 or to none at all.

Special educational programs are organized for the impaired children who are gifted with academic abilities. They are taught Arithmetic, Science, Social Studies, English, Islamiyat and Urdu from class 1 to 7. In order to assess their progress during the year they are tested and a final exam is conducted at the end of the year. Others are given prevocational training which focuses on the determination and development of their manual skills. Later, they receive proper vocational training which includes stitching, hand and machine embroidery, fabric painting, block printing, dyeing, hand and machine knitting laundry, cooking, candle making, wood, leather work and silk screen printing. Furthermore, children are taught art and craft as art has a positive effect on children. Drawings made by the children show their observation of the surroundings and are also a depiction of their thought process.

There were three girls who were happily cutting and pasting in the art room while at the same time one was busy stitching a shirt in the other room. Another bunch of three was busy untangling wool so that they could commence with knitting. In one of the vocational rooms I was greeted by an Ameen Maktab graduate along with the teacher. He now works as the teacher's assistant and helps other children in candle making, wood and leather work.

At Ameen Maktab children receive medical consultation, physiotherapy, psychiatric care and are also taught speech and communication skills. Recognising the importance of morality and religious education, children are also subjected to Moral Studies. To encourage their developed social skills and for entertainment purposes children are taken to field trips. Children who are capable of playing are indulged in sports and recently a team from Amin Maktab participated in Special Olympics which were held in China.

The aforementioned activities encourage children to create their own capacity and help in minimizing their dependence. They help in evolving a sense of achievement in them and also promote creative capabilities. All these aspects channel down into the development of their personalities which helps in their contribution to the society in general.

Ameen Maktab graduates are given job placements based on their abilities. Lahore Chamber of Commerce gives job training to these individuals. The job training helps in making them productive citizens and a part of the active society that you and I live in and hence help in securing a future for the mentally handicapped children.

Who'll pay the price?

Muhammad Ashraf, 45, father of three daughters and two sons, got a brand new CNG rickshaw on lease from a bank two years ago by selling out the older one. He pays Rs 3800 per month installment. Things were going well with him until the government approved gas load management plan and announced two days loadshedding of natural gas per week from November 15 to March 15, 2010 for some industrial units and CNG stations.

"My business has drastically been affected by the move; I am unable to ply my rickshaw on city roads for at least two days every week as I cannot afford to run rickshaw on petrol," he tells TNS.

A common complaint is that the first day after the loadshedding is also very problematic. "It can easily take hours to get CNG on the first day after loadshedding because of long queues and low pressure, it means there is no proper work for me three days every week. I don't know how to cope with the situation. All I know is it'll result in more poverty in my house," he says.

Every CNG rickshaw driver has been facing the same situation. "There are thousands of CNG fitted rickshaws and hundreds of thousands of cars and vans in Lahore plying on CNG," he adds.

According to an official report of ministry of petroleum and natural resources the natural gas shortage for 2009-10 is expected to be 730 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) in November, 976mmcfd in December this year and 1.10bcfd in January next year, 881mmcfd in February and 679mmcfd in March.

The shortage is mainly because the domestic consumption during these months increases from normal load of 250 mmcfd to 750 mmcfd. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has made four zones for gas loadshedding and every zone will be closed for two days. Lahore falls in Zone-I.

Naeem Khan, spokesperson of SNGPL tells TNS that at present the company is facing shortage of 400 mmcfd natural gas. "As per policy of the government we have not been passing on this shortage to domestic users but to CNG stations and industrial units because in vehicle one can use petrol or diesel instead of CNG or in an industrial unit electricity can be used as alternative energy source. But there is no substantial alternative available to the domestic users," he says.

At present CNG is the most popular motor fuel in Pakistan. Majority of private owners have converted their vehicle on CNG. It is not easy to convince people over the situation. Natural gas has not only replaced gasoline but diesel also since a large number of commuter vans and mini-buses have also converted to CNG. People from all walks of life are feeling the heat of two day absence of CNG in the city.

"The CNG loadshedding days result in the worst humiliation of commuters across the city owing to the shortage of public transport, which runs on CNG, while those who are plying their vehicles are not completing their routes and are also demanding extra Rs 3-4 more than the scheduled fares on the excuse of non-availability of CNG. Exchange of harsh words and abusive language were also witnessed between the conductors of these vehicles and commuters," Muhammad Afzal, 40 years old, who travels regularly on public transport in the city, tells TNS.

"If there is shortage of CNG then why are the vehicle owners being allowed to convert their vehicles on CNG? Then you cannot even find rickshaws on affordable rates during those days," he says.

According to All Pakistan CNG Association there are more than 300 operational CNG stations in Lahore. "There are around 0.75 million CNG consumers in Lahore ranging from private cars to public transports like buses, vans, mini buses and rickshaws," says Raja Shuja Anwar, Chairman All Pakistan CNG Association Punjab chapter.

The official figures show that CNG usage in Pakistan is on the rise. According to data of Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan, CNG use in Pakistan has been growing at a rate of about 50 percent a year over the past five years. The number of CNG-run cars have exceeded from 1.6 to 2.5 million from 2005 to 2007. On October 7, 2009 Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Naveed Qamar proudly claimed that Pakistan had become the largest CNG user in the world. The International Association of Natural Gas Vehicles (2009) also seconds the minister's claim.

The organization claims Pakistan has surpassed Brazil and Argentina in the usage of CNG. It also ranks Pakistan as the country having largest number of CNG filling stations in the world. The Ministry of Petroleum figure shows that the number of operational CNG pumps has increased to 17,000, while around 200 CNG pumps are being built.

Raja Shuja Anwar says that natural gas was introduced under the CNG policy of 1994 as an environment-friendly fuel. "2.5 million CNG-fitted vehicles use only 6 per cent of the total gas consumed in the country that helps the nation save annually US$1.6 million in foreign exchange on petroleum imports". According to him on the other hand power sector consumes 33.5 per cent of the total natural gas; the industry consumes 23.8 per cent, domestic consumers 18.10 per cent, fertilizer 15.60 per cent.

The domestic consumption has more than doubled to over 40 per cent in winter months due to the use of geysers and room heaters. "If all CNG stations in NWFP and Punjab are closed, the maximum amount of gas that can be saved is 125mmcfd while 50mmcfd can be saved through the closure of a single mill. Squeezing CNG supplies does not resolve the problem but burdens 2.5 million middle class consumers," he says. He points out the need to put a check on domestic consumption and says that by banning substandard gas appliances it can save almost 40 percent of gas wasted in domestic usage. He asks the government to announce a clear and elaborate ten year CNG policy.