Happy 76th Independence day

Notwithstanding my slave-like status, Illegal wages and despicable life, I am profoundly happy and proud of belonging to a nation that celebrates its 76th independence day today.

I try to live with hope and optimism. I try to down-play my grievances and sufferings. Like every other contracted sanitation worker who works in the municipalities of Sindh or organisations like SSWMB, I receive an illegal salary of Rs15,000 per month. I am neither registered with EOBI nor Social Security. Falling sick means losing the salary for that day.

But then suddenly one day, a miracle happened. The Punjab government ordered new cars worth Rs2.3 billion and raised the salary of grade 17 to 22 officers by 30 percent. No one pointed out that the Government had already provided 200,000 cars (including drivers and free petrol ) to its pampered bureaucrats. As if the floodgates of heaven had been opened, the Federal Government generously allocated to its MNAs, a pocket money of Rs90 billion, that they could spend on their discretion. As if dropping from the skies, thousands of laptops costing billions of Rupees began to be distributed among the youth. Not to be left behind, the Sindh Government spent billions on self-projection advertisements to show its credentials as a people-friendly government, while its premier sanitation department SSWMB paid Rs7.3 billion to the Chinese companies for sweeping the city of Karachi.

Ironically, the billions being lavishly distributed to massage the already rich, are extracted at the cost of the downtrodden and the exploited. As a victim of this unjust and convoluted distribution of resources, I appeal for a total withdrawal of all perks, vehicles and pay increments of the elite – who has consistently failed Pakistan for the past 76 years. It is time to invest in the poor.

Khadim Hussain

A Sanitation Worker

This is how I am compelled to load the shit that you spread all over.