ALL kinds of laws are available in Sindh, but with poor or no implementation, they remain as useless as their non-existence. The purpose of legislation should be to ensure the welfare of the general public, but Sindh passes laws, it appears, only to impress global donors. Therefore, the legislation ends up having an opposite impact because the very people who are responsible for implementing the law exploit it to indulge in corruption or to settle scores with opponents.

Food department officials raid the hoarders and overcharging retailers, but after their palms are sufficiently greased, they walk away, taking no further action. Police raid planned child marriages, but once they are satisfied by the relevant parties, they walk away after enjoying the wedding feast. Legislators and civil society members who painstakingly work for lobbying, drafting and pushing for the passage of a law, forget about it when it comes to the implementation phase.

As things stand today, the presence of laws is creating problems for the general public. This is what irony really looks like.

Gulsher Panhwer
Johi

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2025