Anarchy haunts Karachi’s graveyards

In a city teeming with more than 20 million people and limited space, land can come at a premium for both- the living and the dead. In the last few years, especially after the pandemic, burial ground prices have seen a steep upsurge in Karachi; making the passage to the eternal abode an extortionate investment for anyone footing a funeral bill.

“It’s hard to find an available grave site in this city and even if one does, prices climb every day,” said Tariq, a local who had bought extra land in his family graveyard in the Al Noor area, when his brother passed away some seven years ago.

Per Tariq, it was my mother’s foresight. She wanted to be buried close to her family, and could see the trouble everyone went through when finding an available grave following her son’s sudden demise. She had requested her sons to pre-book her resting ground because she wanted to go in peace knowing her funeral wouldn’t burden anyone.

Over the past decade however, Tariq believes that grave diggers have made several attempts to deface his family’s grave site. “Every time we don’t visit for a while, someone nicks the tombstone or tries to burrow into the grave, but we make sure to keep tabs and fix things up. I have seen it happen to other graves here…the grave diggers’ goons gradually break unvisited graves, starting with the tombstone and then the rest of it. If no one notices, they clean it out and try to sell it to other people as a freshly dug grave,” he claimed.

In response, Yusuf, a gravedigger at the Mewa Shah Cemetery rubbished the claims, and said that they are not involved in any immoral activity and do not giveaway existing graves at whim or nick tombstones. However, the gravedigger went on to agree that they do repurpose graves that are ancient and remain unattended for a really long time. “It’s not as criminal an activity as it sounds. There is limited space in graveyards, how else are we supposed to accommodate everyone?” he questioned.

Another gravedigger, responsible for the C-1 area cemetery, revealed on conditions of anonymity, that most of Karachi’s graveyards have been involved in repurposing old graves for fresh burials, owing to lack of space. “Regardless of the grave being new or repurposed, grave digging is a laborious process but a good chunk of the price is attributed to the land itself. In smaller areas, depending on the location of the cemetery and the grave site, burial can cost anywhere between Rs12,000 to Rs20,000 but in upscale areas like Tariq Road, a grave can easily cost Rs30,000 and upwards,” he exclaimed.

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According to data, there are over 39 cemeteries spread across the city, that fall under the supervision of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), out of which six have been closed for burial, but two new cemeteries have been opened with aid from local welfare organisations.

City residents however believe that a majority of these graveyards are being run by imposters who encourage criminal activity, while also being involved in hogging land and jacking up burial prices to profit from grieve-struck people.

When probed regarding the matter, Karachi Cemetery Committee Convener and Director Information Ali Hassan Sajid confirmed that unregistered gravediggers, minors and other unaccounted staff have been long associated with the city’s graveyards, and are responsible for causing problems. “There is a well-established mafia that runs these operations and due to lack of monitoring, they have also turned graveyards into a den for crimes like drug abuse and a hideout for criminals,” the director corroborated.

Former City Administrator Liaq Ahmed had attempted to root out such criminal elements occupying local graveyards, during his tenure. Among many measures in the bid, he had directed registration of all cemetery staff including gravediggers, while prohibiting movement of minor girls in cemeteries and declaring 18-years as the mandatory age for boys to qualify for gravesite caretakers.

KMC officials had set up a Central Cemetery Committee earlier this year, members of which included government officials, representatives of various social and welfare organisations. The committee is now said to be monitoring all cemetery-related affairs and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. “In addition to that, advertisements have been published for the appointment of staff in cemeteries. A meeting of the committee is held from time to time, in which important decisions are taken after reviewing all matters,” a source privy to the development informed The Express Tribune on conditions of anonymity.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2021.