Azam Basti: ‘Armed men demand admissions at schools’

Human rights seminar reveals ugly truth about area.

KARACHI:

“Armed men belonging to political parties gather outside our schools and cause trouble,” said Khurram Shehzad, the area coordinator of St Paul’s parish. “They walk into the schools with loaded guns and demand admissions.”

What started out as a human rights seminar turned into a collective appeal for protection by the people of Azam Basti. It was not an educational lecture. It was a call for a neighbourhood’s protection.

Christians at the Lemmen’s Centre and the National Commission of Justice and Peace, a body founded by bishops from churches across Karachi and Lahore, organised the seminar on human rights on Wednesday which was attended by around 70 people.

Shehzad told the audience that if schools do not agree to the demands of these ‘criminals’, the principals and teachers are either beaten or robbed.

There have been incidents reported of politically backed boys cutting the power supply to schools and shops.

But what are the police doing, Shehzad asked. “There is no dearth of corrupt policemen. They have joined hands with criminals and are being bribed to turn a blind eye to the crime.”

“What about female schoolteachers and students,” inquired Zara, a teacher from Mariam High School in Azam Town. “What about our rights? Strange men crowd around our school when it’s time for us to go home. They wolf whistle and misbehave with us.”

SHO Ahsan Zulfiqar replied that the Azam Basti community must unite in order to stop the hooliganism. “There are a limited amount of things the police can do to stop petty annoyances,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2011.