Indifference to the suffering of common citizens has become so endemic that we don’t even think of it as odd anymore.
ISLAMABAD: The 13th Economic Cooperation Organisation Summit is being held in Islamabad. Organising the summit during this crucial period must be appreciated, with attendance by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and heads of state from Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. At the same time, organising such an event with high profile identities and their movement in the federal area should be managed more comprehensively so that the common man’s routine may not be disturbed.
However, as was expected, the country that is already lagging miles behind in education, halted educational activities by closing schools in connection with the ongoing Summit. Even more pathetic was the blockages and diversions of various routes, which left many people stranded on the road with no way out. There were long queues of automobiles on every road of the capital where thousands of people were testing their luck in reaching their destinations.
The sheer scale of indifference to the suffering of the common citizen has become so endemic and so much a feature of our daily lives that we don’t even think of it as odd anymore. Even ambulances do not get right of way. I, therefore, appeal to the higher authorities and the department concerned to look upon and address these problems in a way such that they can be circumvented in the future.
Aleemur Rehman
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2017.
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