Sindh government’s action to organise shooting events is callous and inappropriate
KARACHI: How does a state react when in just one district, 300 children die of hunger, thirst and poor medical facilities? What does a state do when it finds that thousands of its schools are occupied by ghosts instead of children? How does a state live with itself when 30 per cent of its children never go to school? How does a state respond when 140 of its policemen are killed in one year in one city alone? The Sindh government has found a unique pursuit to get away from its numerous self-inflicted miseries. It has opted to provide, promote and sponsor activities that symbolise violence and killing. A quarter-page advertisement in the December 19 edition of this newspaper contains an invitation to a shooting competition being organised by the Sindh government. Clearly, this competition is for the rich and the powerful scavengers of this land, as is suggested by the entry fee of Rs25,000 per person.
The Sindh government has the time, money and inclination for acts that involve possession, carriage, display and firing of weapons. It clearly doesn’t have the time to do a few good things for the well-being of its hapless and exploited citizens. The fact is that some of these weapons are licenced as a joke, as we all know the fraudulent licencing process — a special arrangement to bribe the rich, powerful and militant population of Pakistan. Considering the violence and militancy that destroys Pakistan by the day and that was exhibited in its most barbaric and indescribable form only a few days back, the Sindh government’s action to organise shooting events is callous and inappropriate. Can someone smoking hash in the Sindh government please take a break and call off this event?
Naeem Sadiq
Published in The Express Tribune, December 23rd, 2014.
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