If our government is not doing anything about this, why don’t we, locals, take an initiative to stop damage to sites
KARACHI: Many places in the area of Saddar in Karachi are historical and date back to more than a hundred years. These sites are hidden gems and are of heritage value, which adds to the legacy of the city. But unfortunately, no one realises the worth of these buildings. These sites remain ignored and have been left to decay. People are using them freely for personal use, and in the process, are destroying the beauty of history. There are carts and hawkers around these beautiful buildings, complete with noise and other types of pollution emanating from traffic, which causes deterioration of these sites. And the most degrading fact of all is that people have no qualms in spitting paan and throwing garbage around these sites which is very saddening.
In a collective sense, the Pakistani society does not value or respect its history one bit. This disregard manifests itself in our attitude towards historical sites. If our local government is not doing anything about this, why don’t we, the locals, take an initiative to stop the damage of such sites and preserve our history for a better future?
Sitara Arshad
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2014.
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