Power of an image: CM’s face fills the gap where govt is missing

Resident adopts unique method to highlight failure of governance in Karachi

KARACHI:

It is not difficult to spot the missing government in Karachi. Overflowing sewers, garbage piles and missing manhole covers are a testament to the inept authorities.

To shame these missing officials, a resident has stencilled the chief minister's face next to garbage piles and manholes with a simple message: fix it.



"Ideas are bulletproof," said the man behind this campaign, Alamgir Khan, 25. "You can put obstacles for a person but ideas can never hinder." Without burning tyres or blocking roads, Khan has embarked on a journey to shame Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah into addressing basic problems faced by Karachi residents.

Khan and a group of young men carried stencils around various neighbourhoods in District East and painted the CM's face on places that need the government's attention. So far, these stencils can be seen at University Road, Old Sabzi Mandi, Karsaz Road and Nipa flyover.

"Protests are always painful and cause inconvenience to ordinary residents so I decided to take a lighter but effective approach so that more people can join my campaign," said Khan, a resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 7 who is pursuing an MBA from Iqra University. He calls it a silent protest that is not harming people but merely giving them a platform to address their problems.

Staying apolitical

Khan is affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but he insisted that he undertook the task as a personal initiative. The campaign is non-political, he said, adding that it is just a common man asking for his rights from his leaders. "The campaign is for the common citizens of Karachi, regardless of the fact that they may belong to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan Peoples Party or the PTI," he said. "The sufferings of people have to end."



Khan hopes his campaign will not hurt anyone's sentiments. He only wants to highlight the areas where the government needs to pay attention.

Russian muse

A similar campaign in Russia inspired Khan. In Russia, people drew stencils of their mayors on broken roads to make them realise their responsibilities and work for them, he explained.

"A large number of people have contacted me to highlight problems in their areas as well," he shared. "I feel I have great support from the people of this city. I promised to bring change in my society and this idea has no reverse gear."

The other side of the bridge

Right now, Khan is limiting his focus to 'pul ke uss paar [the other side of the bridge]', meaning that DHA and Clifton will not be included. "We have cantonments and the Defence Housing Authority to deal with matters in these neighbourhoods," he said. "The other side of the bridge seems to be orphaned."



Support pours in

The stencil campaign has gained immense popularity among the public, especially through the social media. A video showing Khan and his team at work has gained more than 500,000 views and over 20,000 shares.

"The incompetence of the government has led citizens to carry out such protests," said social activist Jibran Nasir. "Before arresting Alamgir Khan for his unique style of protest, the government should understand what have they caused to this province and improve their governance."

Nasir appreciated that this man has come forward to wake the rulers of Sindh.

On Monday afternoon, several students who stepped out of Karachi University (KU) also spent some time admiring Khan's works. Shahbaz, a KU student who passed by the stencil, said that Khan has done a tremendous job recording his protest. "But I don't think our government will even care about this," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2016.