Sindh government tightens lockdown rules

Information minister says govt orders not being fully enforced, leading to violations

KARACHI: As more and more people in Karachi are seen defying the ongoing lockdown orders by going to public spaces and attending unnecessary social gatherings, the provincial government has decided to step up its game by ordering the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to adopt stricter measures to keep people at home.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the lockdown will be imposed more effectively this week. Shah, who also holds the local government, religious affairs and other portfolios, added that the LEAs have been instructed to act accordingly.

“The directives were issued after the provincial government noticed that the lockdown was not being fully enforced,” he said. “To contain the spread of COVID-19, we will ensure that people stay indoors. [Depending on the situation,] the government will further decide whether to continue with a strict lockdown or allow some flexibility at the end of this week, by April 14.”



The government decided to opt for a sterner approach after noticing violations of the lockdown across different areas of the province. In general, it was observed that the LEAs only maintained a strict lockdown on the main roads but smaller streets continued to be crowded per usual.

Vulnerable areas

Violations were witnessed in several areas of the city, from Saddar to Gulshan-e-Hadeed, where hordes of people were seen roaming on the streets, with most of them neither wearing protective masks nor maintaining any distance.

According to government officials, a large number of people throng the commercial areas of Saddar daily whereas the police are only actively monitoring the main streets, including the Lucky Star Road and MA Jinnah Road, among others. Similar situations have been observed in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Steel Town and different areas of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

Sarmad Ali, a resident of Gulshan-e-Hadeed, said that the police were present only at the entry points of Gulshan-e-Hadeed and Steel Town and checking youngsters entering or leaving these areas, despite knowing that it is a high-risk area with several COVID-19 cases reported in the vicinity.

“A resident of Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro, who was a local skin specialist, recently died of the virus,” Ali said. “But even after knowing that the doctor lost his life to this potentially deadly virus, people do not seem to care and can be seen going to parks and crowding the streets in violation of the government’s guidelines.”

Reasons for non-compliance

There are different reasons why so many people are not obeying the orders of the government and are paying no heed to the phenomenon of social distancing amid the ongoing crisis.

According to human rights defender and researcher Qazi Khizer, thousands of people who are employed at private factories still come out of their homes every day because the factories are still operational.

Khizer, who himself has to leave his house daily to participate in relief activities at the Edhi Foundation, explained that several factories are open in SITE, Korangi and Landhi industrial areas.

“The factory owners have obtained permission from the administration to run their factories at a limited level. However, they do not follow restrictions and still call a large number of employees to work every day,” Khizer said.

He added that a large number of people, working at grocery shops, departmental stores, pharmacies, milk shops and other such businesses, also have to leave their houses daily because these businesses are officially allowed to operate.

“Likewise, hundreds of people who work at the vegetable market, grain wholesale market, and milk-producing and supplying spots are allowed to come out,” he said. “We can add thousands of other people who are either government employees or working in the private sector, like banks and other financial institutions, who cannot be locked up at home because of their jobs. Employees of government departments like the home department, services and general administration, courts, police and other law enforcement agencies, doctors and paramedical staff working in government and private hospitals and media persons also have no choice but to leave their homes and perform their duties.”

Thousands of others leave their houses every day to purchase essential items, while others have no choice but to accompany patients to public and private hospitals. Additionally, the needy have started coming out on the streets in search of ration.

“Poor people are found standing or sitting on roadsides every day, waiting for social organisations and philanthropists to come and distribute rations among them,” Khizer said.

Another major reason why people leave their homes in defiance of social distancing is to perform their religious duties.

“The majority of people in our society are religious and they have still not fully accepted the government’s restrictions on congregational prayers,” three policemen, who requested anonymity, told The Express Tribune, adding that restrictions on prayer gatherings are fully implemented in only prominent areas of Karachi.

“We feel helpless because it is a matter of religion and people are very sensitive about it,” one of the policemen said. Another added that people were even observed praying on roadsides when they were not allowed to enter the mosques during the first week of the lockdown.



When approached, Karachi AIG Ghulam Nabi Memon said that the police had shown some leniency in lockdown under the government’s policy, but it would be implemented more strictly from now on.

“People tried to misuse this leniency, therefore the police has to be stricter now,” he said. “In general, the public is still unable to understand the gravity of the situation and is unable to let go of the culture of socialisation.”

Responding to a question, he claimed that around 90 per cent of mosques in Karachi had cooperated with the administration on the first Friday of the lockdown and adopted government limitations. “The situation improved last Friday when large prayer congregations were held at only six mosques out of more than 8,000 mosques in the city. We hope for further cooperation.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2020.