THIS refers to Irfan Husain’s column ‘Rise of the urban wadera’ (Oct 20) in which he has raised the question of arrogance and pride in urban elites which is on the rise. We also witness this in every walk of life.

Pride is strictly forbidden in Islam. Elites consider themselves above everything.

During our school days we had read that the British used to place a notice on all high-class restaurants and clubs, saying: “Indians and dogs not allowed”.

I was shocked to find almost a similar note of two lines on the entrance of one of the clubs in the Defence area which warned the elites:

Maids and servants not allowed inside the restaurant. Pets not allowed inside the restaurant.

Does any difference exist between the notice placed by the British then and by the administration of the club now? They tend to equate maids and servants with pets. The British were masters; they had conquered India and behaved like masters. But what right does any Pakistani have to disallow fellow citizens the entry to a public place or to consider servants and maids as pets?

The beating of Irfan by the security guards of the daughter of the Punjab chief minister as pointed out by Irfan Husain is a routine matter in our country. The elites consider their servants and maids as their property and disgrace them using abusive language. In many cases, young children are employed to take care of the infants of the owners while their salary comprises only food and that too leftovers.

The less privileged class of this country has no rights. Mr Husain has pointed out that a peon or a security guard is supposed to carry the briefcase of the ‘Sahib’ and to open the door of his car.

This culture of arrogance and pride and practice of disgracing the less privileged class will never come to an end till we keep on placing notices on the entrances of clubs and restaurants that maids, servants and pets are not allowed inside.

AAMIR AQIL Lahore