City courts’ parks: Seeking solace, bickering couples find guns, prying eyes instead
Three parks inside the court premises serve everyone except the intended people.
KARACHI:
Inside the city courts, parks serve a very different purpose. Originally built to allow bickering couples to sort out their differences privately and to keep children away from the eyes of criminals, the three parks are frequented by everyone except them.
There are over 10 family courts at the city courts to sort out cases from four districts of the city except Malir, where thousands of people visit these courts everyday to sort out their family or marriage-related issues.
Couples and guardians bring along their children to meet their parents at the guardian ward but they are compelled to sit inside the court galleries or courtrooms - alongside the often chained under-trial prisoners brought by the police from different police stations.
“It is annoying when people keep staring at us. It gets on my nerves,” says Erum, while she looks around for a secluded place to discuss separating with her husband. The couple has gone to the court to reach a compromise in a Khullah case. “We already have enough of our own troubles. These people just keep staring at us!”
The judges had shown a keen interest in making the parks for families and some of them even donated swings for the children’s amusement. The parks have, however, not served their purpose despite a ban on the entry of irrelevant people.
The court’s indoor playground, built by the Saylani Welfare Trust, offers different activities for children such as swings, slides and cycling while their parents try their best to hammer out differences. The playground has, however, become resting grounds for policemen. Sometimes, even the main gate to the indoor park is locked to prevent the children from coming inside.
City Courts SHO Muhammad Iqbal says policemen come to the courts from four districts of the city. “There is no excuse to sleep during work hours.”
“No one except families can go inside the park,” insists Saleem Butt, the Saylani trust’s in-charge of the family block, generally known as the “F-Block”. “We only let couples in for reconciliation on the orders of judges. The place is monitored through a camera as well,” he added, he admitted, however, the court staff comes in to use the toilets. At another park between the family court of district West and the city courts police station, policemen and litigants can be seen conversing leisurely. But the place is full of cigarette butts, paan spits and other such stuff. Couples avoid sitting in the park and children stay away from the swings as they are usually surrounded by men whose presence makes no sense.
Nasir Mehmood, the Karachi Bar Association vice-president, who initially put up the application to build the park, says it is immoral to stare at the couples or use such places to take naps.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2012.
Inside the city courts, parks serve a very different purpose. Originally built to allow bickering couples to sort out their differences privately and to keep children away from the eyes of criminals, the three parks are frequented by everyone except them.
There are over 10 family courts at the city courts to sort out cases from four districts of the city except Malir, where thousands of people visit these courts everyday to sort out their family or marriage-related issues.
Couples and guardians bring along their children to meet their parents at the guardian ward but they are compelled to sit inside the court galleries or courtrooms - alongside the often chained under-trial prisoners brought by the police from different police stations.
“It is annoying when people keep staring at us. It gets on my nerves,” says Erum, while she looks around for a secluded place to discuss separating with her husband. The couple has gone to the court to reach a compromise in a Khullah case. “We already have enough of our own troubles. These people just keep staring at us!”
The judges had shown a keen interest in making the parks for families and some of them even donated swings for the children’s amusement. The parks have, however, not served their purpose despite a ban on the entry of irrelevant people.
The court’s indoor playground, built by the Saylani Welfare Trust, offers different activities for children such as swings, slides and cycling while their parents try their best to hammer out differences. The playground has, however, become resting grounds for policemen. Sometimes, even the main gate to the indoor park is locked to prevent the children from coming inside.
City Courts SHO Muhammad Iqbal says policemen come to the courts from four districts of the city. “There is no excuse to sleep during work hours.”
“No one except families can go inside the park,” insists Saleem Butt, the Saylani trust’s in-charge of the family block, generally known as the “F-Block”. “We only let couples in for reconciliation on the orders of judges. The place is monitored through a camera as well,” he added, he admitted, however, the court staff comes in to use the toilets. At another park between the family court of district West and the city courts police station, policemen and litigants can be seen conversing leisurely. But the place is full of cigarette butts, paan spits and other such stuff. Couples avoid sitting in the park and children stay away from the swings as they are usually surrounded by men whose presence makes no sense.
Nasir Mehmood, the Karachi Bar Association vice-president, who initially put up the application to build the park, says it is immoral to stare at the couples or use such places to take naps.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2012.