The road is not better than the inn
LIKE in all other cities, Karachi’s roads too reflect the state and the mood of the people, the culture that the city has, the level of functionality and the degree of aesthetics that of the collective mindset. Sometimes it is practical and desirable to reflect on the symbolism that is provided by fleeting images of life (or a lack of it?) on our roads.
One agrees with the contention that Karachi’s traffic, chaotic and unruly, where sanity is either absent or dismally low, reflects on the sort of society that we have. And the direction in which we are headed. And given the quality of our roads, generally speaking, there is little to look forward to? So mourn?
The obvious point to emphasize about Karachi’s roads is that they are in bad shape, broken and battered, dug up and left hopelessly unattended, offering diversions that drive you mad, and making you contemplate in anger and distrust at the system that produces such roads. From the subject of roads it is easy to move into other spheres of Pakistan society, and wonder at what sort of roadmap we are moving on.
But the worrying aspect perhaps is that not only are the city’s roads turning into sorry images of insecurity and a lack of public safety, but that there is also a decline in the quality of their appearance, rather aesthetics.
As one says there is a thought that makes one wonder whether it is asking for too much to want Karachi’s roads, streets, lanes, bylanes, to be images of happiness, of sunshine, of peace and harmony, of community well-being and content, neighbourhood tranquillity and cooperation, and altogether a certain family well-being. Family well-being in a wider Karachi context. Not the micro-family unit, much in vogue now.
It seems that over the years, and with the passage of time, we have lost track of the fact that the aesthetics of Karachi have ceased to have any meaning. Whether it is the result of the deep-rooted commercialism of the metropolis, or whether it is the never ending instability of governmental and metropolitan rule, or whether it is the absence of adequate resources that we have turned a blind eye to the need to have good roads.
We don’t appear to have realized that roads too have a human face. Often the faces of our roads reflect not just blatant ugly commercialism, but also violent crime, and now terrorism. Look at the way in which there are now present on our roads, and especially pronounced in the developed and affluent parts of the Sindh capital, law- enforcing personnel and its apparatus.
Leave this point here, and remember the days when it was possible to go out during the late hours of the fading night and there wasn’t any anxious thought that you took along with you.
You could easily make the entire experience somewhat poetic, argues a nostalgic friend, and says that there is so much that poets have said of cities and roads; and the street of the beloved! Now look at the streets of Karachi and not only is there the fear of the ordinary criminal, but also of the terrorist. In that sense Karachi has become a modern city?
Someone living abroad asked me recently whether Karachi was the most dangerous city in the world. I thought of the times when we called Karachi the “city of lights.” Now, power failures only enable you to perceive the extent to which this city is unable to meet the challenges of future growth.
But stick to roads, alone here. See the roads at night. Often they are poorly lit, or even in perpetual darkness. Even shopping centres prefer to remain dark after sunset to reduce power costs. Areas that have heroin addicts give you that risk. Car thieves play their role, as do car hijackers, and then there are the frequent stories of how bandits operate on lonely, deserted roads. Even Sharea Faisal.
To counter all this is the phenomenon of security guards and official security men ... the law-enforcing agencies. Obviously with the degree of crime and terrorism being what we are all familiar with, this had to happen. Karachi’s roads had to provide images of men with guns, in firing position. Ever wondered what today’s children have in their minds. What kind of adults will they be. The Karachi of the horse-drawn carriage, the ghora-gari, a thing of the past.
I have been talking to articulate people on the subject of roads, and their woes and grievances are many. Some complain of the snap checks that carowners and drivers are subjected to, when they don’t carry their original registration and car papers. If they do carry them, they run the risk of losing them to thieves.
Then there are people who are unhappy about awful roads in posh areas. The rich who live there do maintain their palatial houses, with absolute autonomy. But they are totally unmindful of pathetic streets and roads they use daily.
They expect that the government will deliver here too! They will pay for armed guards on a collective basis, but they will not pay for the roads in their own neighbourhood.
Going for a walk on Karachi’s roads? Out of the question. Let me end with these couplets of Ahmed Faraz:
Ab tau hum ghar sey nikaltey hain to rakh deitey hain
Taq pey izzat-i-sadat bhi dastar key sath
Hum ko is shahar mein tameer ki khawhish hai jahan
Log maimar ko chun deitey hain deewar kay sath.
It makes you wonder which city and society Faraz is talking about!
Deny the allegation and it is still a crime
THE curtain, according to the police, has dropped on the so-called Vehari rape case.
A man had alleged that his daughter, a 16-year-old, had been raped, while his entire family was detained for several days, to enforce the decision of a panchayat which met to hear a complaint against his son who was accused of having eloped with a cousin. The family, minus the girl, he said, had been released after a fake marriage deed had been prepared. Twelve people were nominated in the first information report.
The police doubted the story even though the accused were not immediately available. Neighbours who had been witness to the panchayat, it said, denied coercion, stating instead that an exchange marriages settlement had been reached.
In what the police see as the final scene, the girl said her elder brother had married a cousin without her family’s approval. Later, she said, her father had announced her engagement to her sister-in-law’s brother who had now married her. Her father, she said, had not only been present, he had also signed the nikahnama. She denied rape, saying her father had made up the story and forced her earlier to make a statement in support of his complaint.
So what do we have? Not much, it seems, besides an unscrupulous monster of a father so deservedly exposed and discredited. Happy ending. Praise be to the Lord.
Not all stories end, however, with a first curtain drop. While it is probably convenient (and, therefore, tempting) for the police to discharge the case expeditiously as has already been indicated, could it be that they are overlooking something in their haste? Don’t take Polonius’s word for it but his claim that the family had left the area fearing a reprisal for his son’s indiscretion is verifiable. And the marriage deed he signed? Well, what good is an assent under duress? And even if he were a willing party, is a settlement involving handing over a child in marriage not a crime? The girl has acknowledged the ‘marriage,’ but since when is a 16-year-old competent to enter into contracts? And how voluntary was her statement to the police? In situations like this courts have traditionally deferred recording a statement until after the person concerned has been quarantined for a reasonable period and suitably reassured.
This is not to suggest that false allegations have not or will not be made. But greater sensitivity is certainly warranted in this regard, particularly in our law enforcement. Else, what have we gained from Abbakhel and Meerwala? There are already signs that fatal indifference might be creeping in. The report of a vani, girl being spared on payment of Rs300,000 could have been interpreted as a renegotiation of diyet in view of the realization that trading girls was no more acceptable. This represented social advance, even if it made murder a more costly affair to settle. Unfortunately, the meeting of notables and elders which endorsed the amended deal was also reported to have ordered prompt handing over of another girl who was part of the original deal. If the point of it all is lost on the notables, as it apparently is, they need to be disciplined by the state. By way of atonement, they should be required to ensure that the vani girls whose hand-over they have endorsed and supervised are treated well by their in-laws. In case of child marriages, courts having appropriate jurisdiction must ensure free exercise of the majority option.
DURING cross-examination in the Meerwala gang-rape trial, the victim said she might not have defied an exchange-marriages settlement ordered by the panchayat.
Newspaper reports of the trial suggest that the victim as well as the witnesses were asked searching, sometimes insulting, questions of suspect relevance. While the defence has an inalienable right, some would say an unenviable duty, to try and discredit prosecution witnesses, the court must protect them from being browbeaten and insulted.
The problem with in camera hearing is an opinion about the conduct of the trial has to be formed based largely on hearsay.
AFTER a brief lull the terrorism front is hotting up again. Whether it is on account of the alleged Al-Qaeda regrouping, the impending US attack on Iraq, Israel’s crimes against Palestinians or the Australian cricket team’s withdrawal from a tour of Pakistan is unclear. The targets, a church school in Murree and a missionary hospital in Taxila, may have been chosen to drive away foreigners. They might equally have been picked to cause maximum disgust with whoever was to be blamed for them. Could the recent theft of a holy relic have been part of the same plan?
Confusion is but natural in the absence of a credible claim of responsibility for the ghastly actions. It has been worse confounded by the Punjab governor’s statement that the fate of Taxila hospital assailants would be no different than those involved in the Bahawalpur, Islamabad and Murree attacks. Is the pious governor referring to the wrath of God, the Avenger? According to the police, the Murree case suspects committed suicide for fear of being caught. The suspects of earlier attacks were killed in police encounters. As a result, there will be no prosecution, conviction or execution. What satisfaction can a state draw from the fact?
More people are, meanwhile, once again dying in the Punjab in police encounters, a euphemism for extra-judicial killing. When three men, including Shahbaz — described by the police as an ‘extortion king’ — were killed by the Lahore Cantonment police, Law Minister Rana Ijaz Ahmad Khan ordered an inquiry. The governor, however, has announced a Rs25,000 reward for each of the six policemen involved despite reports that the criminals had been arrested a week ago.
The reporters are, meanwhile, fed unbelievable stories by some police officials. Multan police, for example, claimed that it had chased and shot four dacoits when they did not stop at a police picket. “All the dacoits were riding bicycles.” According to another story, two men who had robbed a wedding party in Jhang, committed suicide when the police surrounded the place.
WHILE most rights activists blame legislation and praise the judiciary, it was pointed out last week that none of the judges convicting people of blasphemy since 1992 had ordered a medical examination to determine the mental health of the accused.
In a recent case, a request by the defence was turned down. One wonders whether the discretion should be withdrawn and the provision made binding.
THE European Union’s monitoring of the elections in Pakistan represents an attempt to undermine its sovereignty, the Pakistan Public Relations Society president said last week. The EU should instead monitor elections in occupied Kashmir. The PRS president urged all patriotic Pakistanis to resist the EU efforts.
At grave risk of being branded a traitor, might one ask who the Society is speaking for? What is the sensitive secret about the conduct of elections the patriots must hide?
A MAN in Kharken village of Jhang district said last week three men had entered his house and raped his teenage daughter at gunpoint. He said the Massan SHO refused to register the case unless and until he was paid Rs10,000. Following intercession by notables, who vouched for the poverty of the complainant, the SHO agreed ultimately to accept Rs6,000!
THE much-awaited rains finally arrived last week. All low-lying roads, in fact, entire neighbourhoods, looked like lakes. A godown wall collapsed, trapping three children under its rubble. One of them is dead.
Can we ever be bothered with preparing ourselves for what we pray for? —- ONLOOKER
He has cast a spell on you
“YOUR wife’s brother has cast a spell on you.” These words put him in a quandary. What fear, what terror! No wonder, she looked so smug these days. Come to think of it, she was over-feeding him with sweets — stuff “black magic” is made of!
A surprising fact is that things that we use in our daily life are sometimes under a spell by someone out of jealousy. People who indulge in such evil practices, aamils, throw an open challenge to anyone who can do better than them. These aamils play with the psyche of the people with such expertise that no one can doubt their capability.
Who would know that the white beads or white threads lying on our bureau are under a spell or a picture that we might have given to a friend or a close relative might be used for magic? It is a commonly held belief that relatives or colleagues use black magic out of jealousy. Domestic squabbles often lead to major fights. Normally, a person, would never imagine that these quarrels are a result of some taweez or talisman used by a relative to create a rift in the family.
Interestingly, the aamils have a large clientele among women. They say women are emotionally very weak and can be fooled easily. They sometimes come for a talisman for their husbands so that they can have complete control over them. Often mothers-in-law come for a remedy that can be used to make sure that their sons are not overly inclined towards their wives. That way they can have their sons under their control and can cause quarrels between the spouses.
Women can easily be asked to go to any length to achieve ‘positive’ results. Young women who want a satisfactory love life often ask for advice that can entrap their beloved. Ironically, these aamils advertise about themselves without any fear of God. Mahboob aapke qadmon mein, imtihanon mein kamyabi, etc; are a few of the many claims used by these practitioners of magic. They also guarantee 100 per cent success in their advertisements.
They exploit their clients beyond anyone’s imagination. They will ask very normal, run of the mill questions that will convince a client of their abilities. This is one of the easiest ways of trapping an emotionally weak person. Sometimes men also go to them, seeking solutions and remedies to their problems. Mostly they want a talisman for a colleague so that he cannot succeed in his job. Surprisingly, subordinates want that their bosses should be on their side and do everything in their favour. These aamils then cast a spell on air fresheners, sugar; give a talisman to be kept in a drawer or a hidden place in the room.
A practising psychologist is of the view that these aamils basically play on an individual’s psyche. He says since people are illiterate, they are easy meat for these clairvoyants.
A young woman from a posh area of the city claimed that she was told a few days ago about a spell being cast on her. The reason was very foolish. Some people brought a proposal to her parents for their son. Her parents rejected it. Later, they found bloodstains on the walls of their house. Contacting a religious person, they were told that their daughter had been “cursed.” Anybody would wonder why should a person do such a horrifying thing. But this, unfortunately, is a fact of life.
Ordinary things are used for this purpose by these so-called aamils. Common examples are salt, verses from the scriptures, cotton, hair, photographs of the intended victim, etc. It is believed that the aamils can go to any length to cast a spell. It has been reported that they smuggle ashes of dead people from across the border for this purpose.
Some people are of the view that the spells cast by such people can be removed by certain methods. Some even say that the spell can come to an end when the person casting it dies. Quite a few people say that a certain bone in a camel, if kept in the house, can prevent a spell from working on a person. Butchers are very cautious when selling meat. If you ask them to give the heart of the animal, they will always make a cut in it. The reason for this is that often people use the heart of a goat for black magic. The skull of a goat is also used for the same purpose.
A fifty-year-old woman told me that her family was under a strong spell. They had noticed that in a span of three months, there had been financial as well as health problems. Her husband also had a terrible accident in which his life was saved with great difficulty. They consulted a religious person and were told that their rooftop was under a heavy magic spell. On checking they found that five nails had been hammered into a wall. The five nails represented their family and the wall, their house. She also said that they were told that someone from outside the family would have to take them out of the wall to rid them of the spell.
It is surprising that these people can use anything and everything in black magic. Obviously the victim would not know but they will definitely have this certainty in mind that this aamil can cure any disease. They often give their clients a black cloth and ask them to throw it in the river and not to look back. They are given this surety that this black cloth will ward off all evil from their families or professions.
The atmosphere at these places is most depressing. Although they have a separate room for women, yet all are burqa-clad. When asked why they were visiting the aamils, they replied that they had severe domestic problems. Some said their husbands are totally under their mothers’ influence and don’t have any respect for their wives. Young girls who go to the aamils say that they want stability in their love life. They also want to make sure that their beloved has not taken just a passing fancy to them. In order to ensure this, they visit these clairvoyants.
The practice of black magic has always been a moneymaking business. The aamils don’t find it difficult to check the willingness of a person who has come to them. They will make him or her sit for as long as possible. Just to test his patience they will ask him to visit them as many times as possible. When they are sure that the person is more than willing to get himself ‘treated.’
They will ask the client to crouch in front of them and then pat his back with a broom. After that they will talk to him in generalities. Since these people are so impressed by the aamil’s tall claims of making the impossible possible, they don’t care what they are saying. All they want is an effective remedy. But additional problems — anxiety and depression — is what they get in the end. — RACHEL JOSHUA