DONALD Trump seems to have got the idea of building a wall on the US-Mexican border and making Mexico foot the bill from the owner of Bilawal House, who built not one, not two, but three high walls on the much used road at more than a stone-throwing distance from the highly protected palatial mansion. Who paid the bill is nobody’s guess.
First the service road was usurped. Then the two roads built for speedy traffic were blocked at both ends leaving the heavy traffic to use the service lane on the other side, leading to traffic jams. Came 2013 elections when the PPP lost at the Centre. Parliamentarian Arif Alvi led the residents of the area and many socially conscious citizens, with the covert support from men in uniform, to get the two main roads unblocked, much to the relief of commuters.
Now it’s more than sheer coincidence that the main road closer to Bilawal House was blocked when Imran Khan yelled “Sharif, your time is up, Zardari it’s now your turn.”
Asif Noorani
Karachi
Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2017