October 18, 2002	Friday	Sha'aban 11, 1423

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RAWALPINDI, Oct 17: Eradication of poverty has always been the main election slogan of all political parties to woo voters. Unfortunately, despite repeated claims of bringing a positive change in the lives of the poor by the politicians, Pakistan continues to remain in the clutches of poverty, which, with each passing day, gets a firmer grip.

The world is observing Eradication of Poverty Day today, during which it will make a pledge to fight a war against poverty, but for the slum-dwellers of Pirwadhai, it is just another day of struggle, a fight for survival.

According to a resident of the area, more than 9,000 people reside in the Pirwadhai kutcha abadi.

He said they had no access to the simplest of basic amenities, like clean water, health facilities and education.

He further said with a daily income of Rs50 to Rs70, and a family of 10 to feed, these basic amenities had become more of a luxury.

Malaria, tuberculosis, respiratory and abdominal diseases, dysentery and various other diseases have made a permanent abode in the area.

The kutcha abadi is also notorious for being a haven for criminals. According to a police constable, selling of drugs and prostitution are the two main vices which have taken firm roots in the area. Most beggars in the twin cities belong to this area, he added.

Jugni, a girl of 15, begs near Faizabad. She too lives in the kutcha abadi in Pirwadhai. When asked as to why she begged, the girl replied that she had to support her ailing parents and two brothers who were drug addicts.

She said she had always desired to get education, and whenever she passed by a school, she peeped through the gates to see the children inside.

Another 25-year-old woman beggar who was with Jugni and who did not want her name to be mentioned, said begging alone could not fulfill their needs and majority of them had resorted to prostitution.

The area is also inhabited by a number of labourers who work on daily wages.

Talking about the quality of food they ate, Taufeeq Ahmad, a labourer who belongs to the area, said if their food was put before the dogs of the elite, he was sure they would not even smell it.