In Lyari, life takes a turn back to normal
Dismissing Covid-19, residents welcome the Supreme Court's decision to reopen shops
A file image of the Alfalah market in Lyari. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS
KARACHI:
A day after the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the reopening of shops across the country, Lyari - one of the neighbourhoods that had seen high incidence of coronavirus cases - appeared to have returned to life as normal.
Unhappy with the imposition of the lockdown by the Sindh government, the residents of Lyari welcomed the apex court's decision with gusto, flinging all precautions to the side.
Shutters were pulled up in every shop and market in the locality on Tuesday, while few of those visiting them bothered with face masks. Shopkeepers, too, did not deem it necessary to ask customers to observe social distancing, unafraid of any consequences for violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Praising the SC's decision, resident Muhammad Ashraf explained that the people of Lyari would not take the guidelines given by the Sindh government seriously.
"We do not trust our institutions. The police mean being forced to give bhatta [protection money], while everyone knows what the healthcare system is like in our province," he asserted. "The SC has taken the right decision and is actually speaking about the issues of the poor people," he insisted. "Yes, the virus is here but it is not because of us citizens, it's because of the government's wrong policies."
Dawood Adam, who lives in Kalri, concurred, adding that the apex court's decision had shed light on the effects of the virus. "It is not the virus that is killing the poor but this lockdown," he claimed, contending that the Sindh government's 'double standards' had made life miserable for them.
"They closed the mosques, but allowed processions to take place. They closed the shops of poor people, but the factories were allowed to operate. I think the government itself is confused," he proclaimed, pointing out that instead of following its own SOPs, the Sindh government kept issuing new guidelines.
In the eyes of Abdul Ghani, too, the apex court made the right decision. "The virus is not as dangerous as we were initially told," said the Agra Taj resident, adding that many citizens who had come to Karachi in search of an income could not afford to remain at home without working.
"This is enough. It's the government failure that it could not limit the spread of the virus," he insisted, adding that though the people had been inspired by the steps taken by the provincial government at first, it had been unable to perform well.
From Nayabad to Bakra Pirri, from Lea Market to Cheel Chowk, people took to the streets in droves. Crowds turned out of their houses in densely populated areas.
And as evening fell, youngsters kicked footballs around or set up makeshift cricket pitches on the main roads and the smaller arteries.
"It is now the same Ramazan as we had last year," beamed Abdul Rahim Baloch, a resident of Cheel Chowk. "The lockdown was only for a few weeks, then it turned into a drama. What good is a lockdown if the virus still keeps spreading?"
His friend, standing next to him, nodded in agreement, adding that the government should focus on hospitals rather than confining people to their homes for no reason. "The virus doesn't exist. It is just a drama created by the government."
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2020.
A day after the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the reopening of shops across the country, Lyari - one of the neighbourhoods that had seen high incidence of coronavirus cases - appeared to have returned to life as normal.
Unhappy with the imposition of the lockdown by the Sindh government, the residents of Lyari welcomed the apex court's decision with gusto, flinging all precautions to the side.
Shutters were pulled up in every shop and market in the locality on Tuesday, while few of those visiting them bothered with face masks. Shopkeepers, too, did not deem it necessary to ask customers to observe social distancing, unafraid of any consequences for violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Praising the SC's decision, resident Muhammad Ashraf explained that the people of Lyari would not take the guidelines given by the Sindh government seriously.
"We do not trust our institutions. The police mean being forced to give bhatta [protection money], while everyone knows what the healthcare system is like in our province," he asserted. "The SC has taken the right decision and is actually speaking about the issues of the poor people," he insisted. "Yes, the virus is here but it is not because of us citizens, it's because of the government's wrong policies."
Dawood Adam, who lives in Kalri, concurred, adding that the apex court's decision had shed light on the effects of the virus. "It is not the virus that is killing the poor but this lockdown," he claimed, contending that the Sindh government's 'double standards' had made life miserable for them.
"They closed the mosques, but allowed processions to take place. They closed the shops of poor people, but the factories were allowed to operate. I think the government itself is confused," he proclaimed, pointing out that instead of following its own SOPs, the Sindh government kept issuing new guidelines.
In the eyes of Abdul Ghani, too, the apex court made the right decision. "The virus is not as dangerous as we were initially told," said the Agra Taj resident, adding that many citizens who had come to Karachi in search of an income could not afford to remain at home without working.
"This is enough. It's the government failure that it could not limit the spread of the virus," he insisted, adding that though the people had been inspired by the steps taken by the provincial government at first, it had been unable to perform well.
From Nayabad to Bakra Pirri, from Lea Market to Cheel Chowk, people took to the streets in droves. Crowds turned out of their houses in densely populated areas.
And as evening fell, youngsters kicked footballs around or set up makeshift cricket pitches on the main roads and the smaller arteries.
"It is now the same Ramazan as we had last year," beamed Abdul Rahim Baloch, a resident of Cheel Chowk. "The lockdown was only for a few weeks, then it turned into a drama. What good is a lockdown if the virus still keeps spreading?"
His friend, standing next to him, nodded in agreement, adding that the government should focus on hospitals rather than confining people to their homes for no reason. "The virus doesn't exist. It is just a drama created by the government."
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2020.