LAHORE: I left my office in Gulberg on October 3 at around six pm and as soon as I did, I got stuck in a terrible traffic jam. It was so bad that it took two-and-a-half hours to reach Jinnah Hospital which is not all that far away.
Eventually I found out that the reason for the jams was because of the power riots that were taking place at that time in many parts of Lahore. The situation was no different at the traffic signal right outside the hospital. Traffic from all sides was badly jammed and not a single vehicle was able to move.
I managed to take my car to one side and find a parking spot near the hospital’s gate. I then walked over to the protesters. They said they were residents of a neighbouring colony by the name of Shah Dee Khuee. They said that they had no electricity for days and even the water that their homes were getting was contaminated. Most were not even remotely well-off so all they could do, they said, was to take to the streets and hope that someone would pay attention to their plight. I sympathised with them but also asked them what good they would achieve by blocking traffic. After all, the motorists on the roads were not to be blamed for the power cuts and in any case, they were not in a position to help these people. I told the protesters that they were better off going to where the ‘khadim-i-aala’ lived and demonstrating outside his house, because he at least, had the power to help them.
I thought no one would listen to me but surprisingly most of them did as they dispersed. Of course, their problem may remain but I found out that these were some very desperate people and that the government should come to a solution to help alleviate their suffering.
Fasih Ali Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2011.
