KARACHI: Immersed chin deep without any protective gear or clothing, submerging for short durations to pull out a stubborn clog with bare hands, with perils to life and health, while ever-so-often overcome by toxic fumes, some perish while on the job.
These are Pakistan’s modern day harijan, (Children of God), men and women belonging to the minority Christian community, employees of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) who, being at the lowest rung of the social strata, suffer in abject poverty. They are seldom literate, with no better choice but to work as sweepers, janitors and sanitary workers for a pittance with grave risk to health and life.
Despite their toil in the pursuit of a honest livelihood, their meagre salaries are always overdue; never paid by at the end of the month — a paucity of funds always said to be the reason.
Just before Easter Sunday, the KMC’s sanitation staff was not paid its salaries for the month of March. Therefore, sanitary workers planned to march to the Chief Minister’s House in Karachi to register their grievance. While others like Rehana Masih planned a silent protest by staying indoors after attending Church services.
But, if the overdue salaries of these Christian sanitary workers were not disbursed so that they could buy much needed staples for their family — let aside celebrating Easter Sunday — such acts are bound to further tarnish Pakistan’s already sagging image in the international community regarding ill treatment of its minorities.
Sylvester Conception
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2014.
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