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city
calling issue The way we
are karachicharacter
Qing Qis and three wheeler rickshaws have become a common sight on the roads of Karachi.The Edhi Foundation and Sindh Disability Forum have provided the handicapped population of Karachi with these vehicles under the Transport Employment Scheme as means of earning a living. Like any other rickshaw
driver in Karachi, Babar Hussain travels the length and breadth of 35-year-old Babar is handicapped from the waist below. He got this auto through the Edhi Transport Employment Scheme, a year ago. Babar along with forty other handicapped rallied against the insensitivity of authorities towards the plight of the handicapped on December 3, 2005, the International Day for Disabled Persons, and threatened concerned authorities with suicide. The gravity of the threats led to decisions being taken that day which culminated into the formulation of the Transport Employment Scheme by the Edhi Foundation and Sindh Disablity Forum. Babar contracted polio at the age of two, which caused his disability. He started selling tissue papers at a roundabout in Sindhi Muslim Society nine years ago after the death of his father. "But I could not earn enough to make both ends meet," says Babar who was unable to earn a decent living for his wife and two children selling tissue papers. Babar, with other disabled
people, staged a 17-day hunger strike in front of the Karachi It was then that the Edhi Welfare contacted the protestors to help resolve their issue. "We told the Welfare that we could drive three-wheeler autos and they provided us with the rickshaws on installments," he says, telling of the rickshaws lent to the protestors as a provision of Transport Employment Scheme (TES) initiated by the Welfare. According to the scheme the Edhi Welfare has given five rickshaws to the handicaps referred by Sindh Disability Forum, an organization working for the mobility of the handicapped in Pakistan. This is an experimental scheme where rickshaws are being provided on a no-profit-no-loss and non-collateral basis. The rickshaw drivers are to pay back the money in easy installments in three years. "If bought from a showroom, a similar rickshaw would cost up to 250,000 rupees on installment, with 25000 rupees to be paid in advance," says Babar. "Edhi Welfare however is providing the rickshaw on market rates which are 118,000 rupees only and that too on a non-collateral basis," he adds. TES is an experimental scheme and, on a smaller scale, replicates the concept of micro financing practiced by banks all over the world. The scheme has completed one year and the Welfare plans to extend the scheme by giving 10 more such rickshaws given the scheme proves successful. "So far the scheme
has proven to be quite successful and we are receiving installments When asked if the rickshaw drivers earn enough, Anwer answered in the affirmative. "The drivers sometimes earn even more than 400 rupees a day," Anwer adds that he is quite happy with he recovery rate at the organization. Babar has paid back almost 19,000 rupees so far and is determined to pay back the rest of the loan. "I know they wont take away the rickshaw even if I don't pay them back but I would never think of deceiving them as they have been very helpful to me." The fact that the Welfare has not asked for a collateral or interest on the rickshaw has greatly moved Babar. The concept of non-collateral, no interest loans is not a new one. The origin of Micro-finance Banking can be traced back to 1976, when Professor Muhammad Yunus initiated an action research project to develop a credit system aimed at the rural populace; The Grameen Bank was established in 1983 as a result of this research. The concept of banking for the poor, on a non-collateral basis is widely practiced by the banking sector all over the world today. Banking catering to the credit needs of the poorest of poor, who were earlier considered "un-bankable" as they had no collaterals to offer, has given birth to specialized Micro-financing Institutes (MFI's), which have aided the impoverished by helping them set up small businesses. However, Micro-finance Banking in Pakistan is a relatively a new concept as compared to other countries in the region. Recognizing Micro-finance as an important poverty alleviation tool, the Federal Government has adopted a Micro-finance policy and has developed a legal framework, the MFIs Ordinance 2001, for establishing Micro-finance Banks in the private sector. The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, Khushali Bank, Rural Support Programs and Kashf Foundation are some of the leading players in Micro-financing in Pakistan but they tend to focus on the poor and pay special attention to women, which endorses the popular concept of Micro-financing but neglects the handicapped who make up 10 % of the total population -i.e. 60,00,000 people. Unlike the Micro-financing sector, NGOs like Edhi Welfare and the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) have initiated schemes for the handicapped, unknowingly replicating the concept of Micro- financing. "I have never heard of Micro-finance Banking nor do I know if such banks exist," says Jawed Rais, President DWA, the organization that provides handicaps with accessible bikes under its "mobility project" approved and funded by The World Bank in 2006. The World Bank in 2006 launched a project under the banner of Pakistan Development Marketplace and invited proposals from various organizations. Jawed says that "Travelling is the biggest problem for the handicapped therefore we proposed a mobility project." Out of 600 projects from all over Pakistan, only 9 were approved including the Mobility Project by DWA. The World Bank financed the organization with 15,00,000 rupees. "We made 30 accessible bikes, operated manually, from that money," says Javaid adding that one accessible bike costs from 30,000 to 70,000 rupees depending on its design. These bikes are multi-purpose. They serve as Qing Qi rickshaws, wireless PCOs, tuck shops, mobile juice shops, mobile shops selling phone and internet cards, mobile bakeries and sometimes simply as an accessible bike facilitating mobility of a handicaped person on the job. "This is a scheme that promotes self respect and is not a gesture of charity, we make our handicapped fellows mobile and allow them to earn a living. Once they are established enough, we ask them to pay back the cost of the bike in installments," explains Jawed, who is pleased with the results of the scheme. Asad Karim, 20, drives an accessible bike provided to him through the scheme, he earlier earned money by begging on the streets. Born in a village in Punjab, Asad lost the ability to walk at the age of 9 as a consequence of severe fever. He came to Karachi seven years back with some friends who abandoned him the very same night as they arrived. He searched for them but could not find them. As he did not have enough money to return home, nor was he educated enough to gain employment anywhere, he resorted to begging in front of the Capri Cinema in Saddar. He easily made around 200 rupees a day and managed to send his family 3000 rupees a month. Embarassed, he tells Kolachi, "I spent seven years living this way, I never told my family that I begged to make money and did not meet them all this time." However, last year the Welfare contacted him and convinced him to work instead of begging "They taught me how to operate an accessible bike and now a make living driving a Qing Qi rickshaw instead."Asad feels proud as now he not only makes a respectable living but drives a rickshaw rather than dragging himself on the roads.He admits that he enjoys this life more than before as, "I am learning to read, write and operate computers as well." Asad is now determined to study and vows that he will never go back to begging again. He earns up to 7000 rupees a month and takes pride in his earning power.He does however admit hesitantly that he has not managed to save enough money to pay his installments. "He hasn't established himself and needs time to pay us back," says Jawed. Jawed admits that though the scheme has been quite successful but "The recovery rate is quite slow as people need time to establish themselves." Jawed is also apprehensive about the future of the project; "We only have a one year contract with The World Bank," adding that he is unsure of where the project will stand once the year is over. "We have pleaded with the government to look into the matter and facilitate the project, but the government is involved with the project only to the extent of coming to our programs and having their pictures taken with the disabled," adds Jawed regretfully. Though Jawed himself is unaware of Micro-finance Banking, and therefore has not contacted any Micro-finance Banks, the Micro-financing sector seems eager to sponsor similar schemes if contacted. "Right now we don't have any schemes for the handicapped," says Mussarrat Siddiqui, President Network Micro Finance Bank Limited, "but we are willing to support such schemes if contacted in this regard." The worldwide success of Micro-financing is no longer an unheard of phenomenon. The project that started with only 300 dollars, has aided more than a 100 million people in the developing world. Bangladesh itself has 22 million people benefiting from Micro-financing, and non-governmental organizations have spread over every nook and cranny of rural Bangladesh giving credit to the poor, with the 95% recovery rate proving that that the poor are the most reliable borrowers. Although the Edhi Foundation and the Sindh Disability Forum have initiated what could prove to be fruitful step towards economic development, NGOs have only so many resources at hand. Recognizing the needs of a segment of the Pakistani population which otherwise does not get much attention, the government must take measures to provide self-respect and self reliance schemes for the handicapped the financial and managerial assistance they need to truly thrive. issue Dehydrating lives: Water shortage in the Kotri downstream The shortage of water in the Kotri downstream has resulted in severe impoverishment of local fishermen. Kolachi investigates. Although water shortage in
Sindh is not a new concept, with water not being released into Fishermen all the way from Keti Bunder to Thatta have found their protests about the situation to authorities fall on deaf ears. Several species of fish including the Palla, have become extinct in the river that has not had water released into it as per the 1991 Water Accord. The lack of water release has resulted in fishermen losing out on their only source of income; starving and living in deplorable conditions is just a way of life for them now. Another reason for fish depleting in the river is over-harvesting. Fishermen use all types of illegal nets for fishing, which also catch juvenile fish. This has resulted in a decrease in fish stock. The increase in export demand for fish and shrimp has also contributed to the over-harvesting. Most fishermen in the 14 villages along the Kotri downstream and those belonging to the 32 villages in Thatta District also blame the building of barrages for their misfortune, referring back to their ancestors' belief that "Barrages are made to block the natural flow of water." A negligent amount of water has been released since 1991 in the Kotri downstream. When the flow of water was officially reported in 1999-2001 a little more than 18,000 cusecs water was released in the downstream. This too defied the water accord of 1991 for judicious distribution of water. The water accord of 1991 states that the Kotri downstream requires more than 10 million acre feet (M.A.F) of water, however this requirement or any other in the accord haven't been met to date. "The entire Kotri downstream is deserted now because of the lack of water and no water for a fisherman means no life." Says Arab Mallah, chairman of Sindh Tarraqi Passand Mallah Tanzeem, which raises and addresses issues on behalf of all fishermen in Sindh. Arab Mallah says that as the water accord of 1991 was not implemented and resulted in water shortage, many species of fish have simply ceased to exist. Being unable to catch any or enough fish to sell, fishermen have started migrating and looking into alternative means to earn a living. "We have been living in terrible conditions for years, but nobody cares," says Allah Dino Mallah, a fisherman at the Kotri downstream, "many fishermen have resorted to begging now that their only source of livelihood has been taken away." The 1991 water accord was formed after inter-provincial conflicts over water distribution. While Sindh held the view that optimum level of water required was 10 M.A.F, other studies suggested higher and lower levels. The need for minimum sea escapage had been recognized to check sea intrusion in this accord, and a study was suggested to establish the escapage needs downstream Kotri. This study was not carried out until last year, and the results of the study have not been made public yet. With water not being released into the Kotri downstream, about 0.5 million acres of mangrove forests have been destroyed. These forests were home to smaller fish and other water species. The depletion of the forests resulted in the depletion of the fish as well. Furthermore, the sea intrusion, because a negligible amount of water was released towards the Kotri downstream, engulfed 2.2million acres of agricultural land. Speaking to Kolachi in Husseinabad, which was earlier known as Gudu Bundar, Arab Mallah reveals that the Sindh provincial assembly had passed a bill to issue licenses to the fishermen against a fee of 500 rupees in1976 but the actual fee charged at that time was about 2100 rupees. Showing the decades old license book, Arab says, "Despite the fact that there is no water available in the Kotri downstream and species of fish are diminishing, we feel the license system might bring us hope." Fishermen are of the view that legislation is an important factor and once the license system is in place and strict checks are implemented on illegal netting, which disallow fish to come downstream, the situation might improve. Though there is some water available in the Kotri downstream and authorities also release extra water in the downstream when there is flooding in the up stream, Arab Mallah argues, "How can we say that this water comes into our account until the required 10 M.A.F of water is not released into the Kotri downstream?" A Similar situation can be seen in the Thatta district where according to one of the elected representatives, fishermen have started migrating to other places in search of bread and butter. Dr Mohammed Umar Memon, Nazim of Mirpur Bathoro union council, Thatta district, tells Kolachi that being an elected representative, he has raised fishermen's issues time and again but situation seems to have worsened. He says that the river water is becoming saline because of the sea intrusion, which is affecting the agricultural land, and breeding of fish. "Our only hope now is of divine intervention as the government has never fulfilled its promise," says Arab Mallah, adding that the government had not released water in the last17 years. The government needs to take immediate measures to curb the damaging situation for the fishermen living along the Kotri downstream and implement the 1991 water accord so fishermen can live a smoother life. Providing them licenses to catch the fish as well as banning of illegal nets should also be enforced. These steps will surely improve the pitiful situation that fishermen and their families have been living. The fishermen also deserve compensation as a state is supposed to work in the utmost interest of its people, especially when they contribute to the overall national economy. The way we areThe enemy within Once again, Pakistan was pushed to the edge of its seat, watching what can only be defined as a war unravel on a million television screens all over the country. What was really mystifying though, was that the gunshots and blasts weren't for once ringing in the Karachi sky, but bouncing off the Margalla Hills in Islamabad. Most oscillated between feeling relieved that religious extremists targeting everyone from women driving on the Islamabad roads to Chinese masseurs were finally being cut down to size by the government in a standoff that lasted eight days, to feeling queasy and disturbed at the thought of the misguided believers populating the Lal Masjid going down in the name of God. Television showcased endless polemic on the Operation Silence; Pakistanis all over watched and read the news with bated breath and argued the pros and cons of the situation, dubbing it as belated but welcome action or worrying that the lives cost in the name of this Operation were a cause for humanitarian concern. Karachiites, for once, however, weren't confined to their homes as two forces battled day and night, they watched in empathy, and most felt that the action taken by the government was a necessary evil. "The government should have taken action when the Jamia Hafsa students took over the children's library," says Zayd, 31, "however I do feel that though the action was belated, it was apt, the government was forced to make an example of the Lal Masjid clerics. Religious clerics in Pakistan feel that they can get away with murder, and sometimes they do, if they do it in the name of God." With decisions taken in the capital setting off some sort of a violent reaction in Karachi in the recent months, one has to wonder if Karachiites feel that this too, might once more throw the city into complete chaos. "I do believe that madrassahs in Karachi will retaliate," says Zayd, "but I can't predict the severity of the retaliation." Wafaqul Madaris and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal called for a protest day on Friday, July 13, and the city beefed up security measures, not wanting a repeat of the May 12 massacre. Faisal, a marketing student feels the government did the right thing. "I think the president should take this incident as an opportunity to move towards making Pakistan a secular state. Karachi will of course be affected, but in a positive way as madrassahs all over the country have now been warned to not push the government too far." While a lot of individuals and political parties are dubbing the operation against the madrassah "a massacre" and many feel, that however out of line the actions of the students of Lal masjid and Jamia Hafsa, the measures taken to curb their militancy were far too harsh. One of the more common perceptions is that the Lal masjid and Jamia Hafsa students themselves were breaching human rights by trying to enforce their brand of religion on everyone. Karachi might not be completely unaffected by the consequences of Operation Silence, despite not being directly involved with it. The suicide bombing at Nishtar Park on April 11 2006, which caused the death of 54 people, including the top leaders of the Sunni Tehrik, was just one incident that highlighted that Karachi can be a hotbed of religious and sectarian violence. Zobia, a student majoring in mass communications points out that the problem now might be that of over vigilance, "There are many madrassahs in Karachi, and the word madrassah has now developed so many connotations that its become extremely ambiguous, and now every madrassah in the city will be monitored closely, regardless of its orientation." Operation Silence followed in a string of events that have thrown the country into a state of absolute confusion, anger and sometimes, despair. As the actions of the Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid students became bolder and obvious shortly after the presidential reference against the CJP caused a fall in support for the president and people to voice their doubts about him being an able leader, many feel that the president has used the madrassah as a tool of distraction. "Where is the CJP case now?" wonders Nosheen and adds, "Instead of making headlines as it did, its been pushed down into news briefs since the operation began." Zain, a marketing manager feels that the whole operation began to divert the country's attention from the damage caused by the flood in Balochistan. "It feels as though to keep the country from mulling over an irrecoverable loss, the government engineered another, only disguised as a fight against terrorism." Most people one spoke to though agreed that the action was justified, and that the government was left with little or no choice but to carry it out. "The government definitely did the right thing!" says Zainab, a dentist. "They waited patiently for the Maulvis to negotiate with them. They could have blown the mosque up on the very first day but did not," she adds. The actions of Maulana Abdul Aziz have also left her, among many others, disgusted, "The entire situation is a shame for the maulvis, especially with Abdul Aziz fleeing in a burqa! That was completely hypocritical specially since he lectured people on the virtues of jihad and martyrdom." Amar, a Media Studies student feels "Saddened but relieved," He says he is, "Saddened because a place of worship was the for a needless showdown provoked by extremist hypocrites, but I am relieved because our sometimes tactless military government showed finesse by sending in ulema to negotiate and giving the maulvis ample time to surrender, proving that it is not a gun slinging cowboy, for the time being at least." The point of consternation though is why the whole debacle was allowed to develop to a point where the operation became a necessity. In a city like Islamabad, the capital of the country, and the residence of the president, security is tighter than in any other city of Pakistan. The fact that during the showdown between the army and the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa students and clerics, the religious extremists were armed with sophisticated weapons leads many to wonder how those weapons were supplied to the mosque and madrassah under the nose of the government. Once again, Pakistan seems to be standing at the brink of uncertainty. Though many laud the government's action in dealing with militant action, many will continue questioning if the showdown was unavoidable. Once again, it seems that Pakistan's biggest battle isn't against anyone else, but the enemy within. karachicharacter Working his way up Mohammad Asif was born on
March 8, 1976. He left the picturesque Nathiagali in District Kolachi: Can you tell us about the transition from a place like Nathiagali to Karachi? How did it feel? Mohammad Asif: At first it felt really strange to leave such a beautiful place for a big city like Karachi. The noise and heat were very unbearable. Kolachi: What about the people? Mohmmad Asif: My initial impression was that big city people are indifferent to everything. I was very young and didn't know anybody over here. The biggest shocker was that back home everybody worked together even on the smallest things but here nobody seemed pushed to make a little effort for another's sake. Kolachi: How did your perception about these big city people change? Mohammad Asif: I enrolled
in S.M. Commerce College to do my B.com. It was there that I Kolachi: What was your first job like? Mohammad Asif: I earned only 1200 rupees, can you imagine? I started as a lift operator. People were very nice and supportive and within a year of doing that they promoted me to a position where I started handling accounts for the apartment block and increased my salary to 5000 rupees. Kolachi: Can you tell us about how you became a production manager? Mohammad Asif: Advertising was my passion and the right opportunity came along, I joined the company Dream Team Films as a clerk. Being part of a company like DTF was something I had always dreamed about so I didn't mind working in any capacity. I gave it all I had and today I am Production manager. It took seven years to get where I am today and was all worth it. Kolachi: What are the responsibilities that come with your job? Mohammad Asif: Production is all about A to Z of everything the director requires. I am responsible for arranging a line up of things for example: talent, equipment, DOP's (director of photography), locations, food, traveling etc, from the beginning to end of every project. Kolachi: You have such a busy life, how often do you visit your family back home? Mohammad Asif: I make sure I visit my family at least three to four times in a year. Even if that means leaving havoc in Karachi! I have two boys and a girl and I miss them very much. Kolachi: How do you think Nathiagali has developed over these years? Mohammad Asif: Expansion is visible now more than ever. I remember a time when we had to walk to my house because there were no roads. Now there is visible development. The only draw back is that there are no job opportunities. The options are very limited. Kolachi: If Karachi is the hub of opportunity how do you feel about the quality of life over here? Mohammad Asif: Karachi is the ideal place for people who want to make something out of their lives but peace of mind is hard to find. Over here I have money and back home I have peace. In Nathiagali people have a minimal and limited approach to life but after a day's work they sleep well. Kolachi: What do you feel makes life here in Karachi so tense? Mohammad Asif: It's a long list, Noise pollution like any big city but recently the traffic has doubled and it takes hours to commute. The whole situation with KESC is very problematic to work with because there are no set hours and in this day and age it is impossible to keep functioning without power, especially in our profession. Kolachi: Would you like to share your views about violence and how you feel about what took place at Lal Masjid in Islamabad? Mohammad Asif: This entire episode has been very disturbing both on a national and a personal level. I have a 23 yr old nephew; He's an Imam in another masjid and went to meet a friend there, before it all began. He has gone missing, his father has been trying to find him but the authorities haven't given any figures or names so far. It's been a very unsettling and sad few days since we have no idea about where he is. We don't even know if he is alive or got arrested, just waiting to hear something. Kolachi: Since you belong to the media, how do you feel about the media coverage on the existing issues? Can you also give your opinions about the government and media relationship? Mohammad Asif: We have live coverage, which barely existed at a certain point. But even now especially in the case of Lal Masjid the media has been kept in the dark about a lot of things and has had to follow statements that came in from the government. Freedom has been compromised in this particular unfortunate event. The government is supportive but there are times when the media can't do much. Programs like Capital Talk are examples of what kind of freedom there is though. Kolachi: How do you feel about the way news floods every TV channel and its effects on the our public? Mohammad Asif: The new generation is getting exposed to ongoing events and is getting affected by them, which is both good and bad. Information like this provides awareness and its raising questions in peoples minds about our country which is a good thing. Kolachi: What would you like to change about Karachi, if anything? Mohammad Asif: People in Karachi are very disconnected from their surroundings, they litter on the roads and the parks look more like horse stables. We need to nurture this place and parents especially should try to develop good qualities in their children, and consideration for their surroundings. Mohammad Asif has traveled quite a distance to be where he is today both physically and emotionally. It is amazing that his life has evolved with constant effort to keep improving. While a lot of us have grown numb to this place we call home, being from another city, Asif catches a lot of things we miss. Struggling to grow and improve, and taking the punches without complaining much, such is Karachi's character.
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the city in search of a living. He haggles with passengers over the rickshaw
fare, discusses politics with his sawari and like any other rickshaw waala,
he too is very sensitive about the maintenance of the three-wheeler rickshaw
he drives. His rickshaw however, is not like the other rickshaws in the
city. Babar's vibrant green three-wheeler-rickshaw is operated manually and
reads 'Edhi Rozgar Scheme Bara e
Press Club(KPC) demanding the government to ensure employment and
implementation of the two per cent quota for handicaps. When their demands
were not met, the protestors threatened the government with burning
themselves alive in front of KPC. "We had even bought kerosene oil for
the purpose," Babar tells Kolachi. He was determined to get his fair
share from life at any cost.
regularly," Anwer Kazmi, the media coordinator at Edhi Welfare tells
Kolachi.
the Kotri downstream and shortage of irrigation water, the lives and
livelihoods of about 0.3 million fishermen in Sindh are drying up. The Indus
River is no longer mighty but is now disparagingly referred to as 'sandy' by
the fishermen who once earned a living because of it.
Abbottabad for the urban center of worker bees called Karachi in 1994. His
family stayed in Nathiagali while
made friends. I also started working for an apartment building and met some
nice people there.