Graves on roads

In a heartbreaking and tragic incident near Karachi's Nipa Chowrangi, a three-year-old boy named Ibrahim fell to his untimely death in an open manhole, prompting grievous protests where residents blocked the road and burned tyres. The already tormented parents had to first convince rescue teams to commence the rescue operation swiftly instead of waiting for daybreak, then a lack of equipment forced them to personally arrange machinery with the help of neighbouring residents.

When asked by a reporter at a press conference about accountability for the deplorable state of Karachi, mayor Murtaza Wahab proclaimed that he should not be judged for inaction. He stated that the reporter should focus on journalism instead of politics and that such hot-blooded conversations are the reason matters remain unresolved. On such occasions, our politicians must ask themselves - if the death of a child is not justification enough for hot-bloodedness, then what incident must occur that justifies civilian uproar? Must we wait for an investigational verdict by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), when the facts of the 'matter' are explicitly clear?

An open manhole is not a feature of a functional city; it is simply a case of urban neglect. According to Muhammad Tawheed, a well-known urban planner, half of the underdeveloped areas of Karachi have open manholes. It is neither a rarity nor a defect actively being tended to. If such circumstances are not reason enough for the public to revolt, then the government is simply asking its citizens to become docile to the faults of the system. Ibrahim lost his life as a direct result of this docility, which has already permeated segments of our society. But the public must not stop demanding justice. The lack of basic infrastructural development should prompt everyone to rise up until the government pays heed.