Karachi: Diwali hopes dashed as poor Hindus denied financial help

Kartik Shukla 1, Kaliyug Varsha 5113

Karachi(Pakistan): As the Hindu community across the globe is all set to celebrate the Festival of Lights, Diwali, which falls today, in Karachi, thousands of families would be spending the occasion in gloominess and darkness as promises to release funds for the poor and disabled were not fulfilled by the Minorities Affairs Department.

On Tuesday, a day before Diwali, the offices of the Minorities Affairs Department at the Sindh Secretariat were thronged by a large sea of people, including widows and disabled people, who had come to receive cheques of Rs2,500 each as promised by the government for the religious occasion. But, to their great disappointment, they found officials absent and the offices locked.

Under the scorching sun, Rajesh, who works as a supervisor at a bank, had been waiting with his wife and their two-month-old baby since 10am. “Tomorrow is Diwali and we have no money. Our festival is ruined.”

All around the premises, men and women expressed their anger and kept on asking, “Why did they assure us they would give us money when they couldn’t fulfil their promises?” A young boy, Kumar, piped in, “Why are they fooling us? How long will we keep on waiting?”

Many of them had been coming to the office of the director of the minorities affairs for the last three days, hoping that they would receive funds which were to be handed out for the poor and the disabled. They had filled out a five-rupee application form and attached copies of their NICs. Others who could not read or write had paid people around Rs50 to Rs100 for filling out the form on their behalf. But none of their efforts seemed to move the high-ups.

Hindu women in their colorful saris occupied the footpath near the Sindh Secretariat III, and kept on flashing their identification cards. “At this time, we would be cleaning our house and cooking. But we are wasting our time here waiting.”

The people had come from all over Karachi, some even from Hyderabad. A woman, Chanda, had come from Khokhrapar. “People had spent up to Rs200 to Rs300 for coming here.”

Kishore had been coming there for four days all the way from Keamari. “I spend several hours every day in the hope of getting money. They should tell us at least if they are giving money or not. Some people, I think about 50, have received it.”

Even disabled people were ignored. From Ranchore Line, a woman who could not walk appealed for help. Another from Chanesar Goth, moved her daughter on a wheel chair as she suffered from polio, while her husband limped on.

The people claimed that the police had used batons to dispel the crowd but they were unwilling to move. Meanwhile, a sanitary worker, who has been working at the secretariat for the last 30 years, was not given the cheque, saying that the staff was not entertained. “God knows who these cheques are going to.”

Later, hordes of people walked with Chairman Sikh Naujwan Sabha Pakistan Sardar Ramesh Singh and former MNA Michael Javed to the Karachi Press Club, where they protested against the injustice and chanted slogans against the minister.

While talking to The News, Singh demanded that the minorities’ minister should be removed as, during the last three years, not a single penny was spent on helping the poor or on the development of the houses of worship. Meanwhile, Javed said that it was sad that the people were fooled into buying photocopied forms which were not being accepted.

The guards posted at the premises said that it was three days ago that Minister for Minorities Affairs Mohan Lal was last seen. The News tried to contact him but he was not accessible on the phone.

Meanwhile, Danish Saeed, the director of minorities affairs, outside whose office the crowd had gathered, said he was at his “other” office in Numaish, writing cheques for the people. “Our target was 5,000 people but we have received thousands of forms. We are doing best to issue cheques,” he said.

On the other hand, MPA Pitamber Sewani said that the delay in issuing cheques was due to the death of the Begum Nusrat Bhutto as the entire leadership had gone to Naudero to attend her funeral.

Source: thenews.com