'India landed on moon, while we ... ': Pakistani lawmaker highlights lack of amenities in Karachi - Times of India

Source: The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Pakistani lawmaker Syed Mustafa Kamal drew a stark disparity between India's space achievements and the pressing issues faced by Karachi.

Kamal, while addressing the Pakistan Parliament on Wednesday, drew attention to India's successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, juxtaposing it with the tragic incidents of children losing their lives due to open gutters in Karachi."Today, the condition in Karachi is that, while the world is going to the moon, children are dying by falling into gutter in Karachi. On the same screen, there is news that India landed on the moon, and just after two seconds, the news is that a child died in an open gutter in Karachi," Kamal said.

Highlighting the scarcity of fresh water in Karachi and the staggering number of children deprived of education, Kamal emphasized the urgent need for attention to Karachi's infrastructure and social welfare. The MQM-P leader also said citing a report that there are 70 lakh children in Karachi and over 2.6 crore children in Pakistan, who are not able to go to schools.

"Karachi is the revenue engine of Pakistan. The two seaports operational in Pakistan since its inception, are both in Karachi. We (Karachi) are the gateway to the entire Pakistan, Central Asia to Afghanistan...For 15 years, Karachi was not given even a bit of fresh water. Even the water that came, the tanker mafia hoarded it and sold it to the people of Karachi," Kamal said.

"We have a total of 48,000 schools, but a new report says that out of that 11,000 are 'ghost schools'. 70 lakh children in Sindh don't go to school and a total of 2,62,00,000 children in the country don't go to school...if we just focus on this, the leaders of the country shouldn't even get proper sleep," the Pakistani Parliamentarian added.

Kamal also criticized the neglect of Karachi's development despite its pivotal role as Pakistan's economic powerhouse. He condemned the failure to provide basic amenities such as fresh water, which has exacerbated the city's challenges.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is grappling with economic hardships, including high inflation and mounting debt. The government has sought a new loan program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address these pressing issues. Talks between Pakistan and the IMF are underway, with the IMF urging Islamabad to implement comprehensive reforms in the energy sector and tax system.

Last month, Pakistan completed a short-term $3 billion program, that helped stave off sovereign default, however, the government has highlighted the need for a fresh, longer-term program, according to Dawn.

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