Tariq Khan is not a new addition to rallies and protests in the capital. While participants are busy flashing placards and chanting slogans, Khan with his head bent, silently makes way through the massive crowd collecting garbage.
The shades of his white shirt have faded with time. He is not new to a PTI rally in the city. Wearing rubber gloves and plastic bags tucked in his jeans, Khan has come to the site regularly since PTI started off its protest in August.
For over three months, Khan quietly worked to keep the environment clean. For more than a hundred days, Constitution Avenue and D-Chowk resemble nothing less than a garbage dump. Although the Capital Development Authority sweepers are assigned to collect garbage daily from the site, piles of trash have plagued the area.
Khan is so dedicated to his mission that he has sold his property to make extra cash to support a project for clean and green Pakistan by 2020. He comes to the rally site for nothing but advocating and campaigning for cleaner environments.
He has distributed a total of 12 garbage cans for the event to volunteers that were helping him collect garbage. Khan said he had especially come to the women wing to educate them about the initiative. “There are only two people who clean — women and sweepers,” he said, adding that it’s the women who need to take the initiative to teach men how to help protect the environment. “And it’s very important for them to work for this cause and help in campaigning,” stressed Khan.
He said people were observing and respecting his decision to do so. However, he is not alone in his mission. His ten-year-old son also accompanies him to the rally site over the weekend and helps him collect trash.
Khan, who began this journey almost a hundred days ago, sees the difference he has steered in people. “I have lesser garbage to collect now,” he said.
Although not a supporter of any political party, Khan has left his mark as several PTI supporters greet him and appreciate him for his efforts.
“He is no less than a star here. Almost anyone who comes here knows about him,” said a participant.
Khan plans to take his campaign to the rest of the country and aims for a cleaner Pakistan by 2020.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2014.
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