Bulldozing the right to shelter

Islamabad is the only planned city in Pakistan. A master plan was conceived by a Greek town planner’s firm of architects, Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis based on a grid plan and it included all the current sectors consisting of four subsectors each. The arrangement included residential areas, commercial areas, schools and hospitals etc for each subsector. For some odd reason that firm did not most likely care or perhaps find it important enough at that time to map an area for the followers quarters for people working as cleaners, janitors, sanitary workers, carpenters, laborers etc but for obvious reasons, their presence was the essence of the city. In 1960 when Islamabad was constructed as the capital, these workers would come to work in the city from Rawalpindi. With time as Islamabad started expanding, there came a need of more “helpers” and it began to become hard for them to afford their commute to Islamabad every day. That is when they started developing Kachi Abaadis (slums) in the capital of Pakistan. Since Islamabad had only two sectors back then, The CDA (Capital Development Authority) didn’t prevent the slums to be developed. CDA recognized their need to live in the places that were vacant back then and did not make an effort to stop them.  Ultimately this became a routine and different people made use of this idea by grabbing the lands and selling to poor people on nominal amount to establish kachi abadis.  The first two slums in Islamabad were established in F-6 and F-7 which were sooner recognized by CDA as legalized slums.

Derived from NCPC Profiling of Katchi Abadis ,The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has registered eleven Kachi Abadis in different locations of Islamabad but in actual there are total of thirty four Kachi Abadis in centre as well as peripheries of Islamabad. They have been provided with electricity and gas as well. Kachi Abaadi dwellers are from all over the country. Majority of the population is comprised of Christian community originating from central Punjab. The number of Punjabi communities like Potoharies, Sheiks, Awans and other communities has jointly constituted the population of Kachi Abadis in Islamabad. Afghan refugees, Pakhtoons from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some of the families from Balochistan are also part of the population. Almost each family member unfortunately even including children earns for their families but their monthly income is very low.

Understanding the situation; there are some questions that arise. On what criteria were the slums legalized as compared to the ones that are considered illegal, why did Iesco and SNGPL provide electricity and gas to slums without confirming status of the property? Why wasn’t CDA aware of the new slums being developed and if they were, why didn’t they stop them at that time?

Anyhow, the issue has a long recurring history, but the recent episode escalated this February when the Islamabad High Court issued an order for the removal of “illegal settlements” from Islamabad. Surveys were conducted, eviction notices were issued, and search operations were launched in katchi abadis.  Bureaucrats, politicians, and the judiciary have joined hands to launch eviction drives that will affect over 100,000 residents of the katchi abadis of Islamabad. This order has created a tension in the houses of the urban poor and their protests have also been stopped by police and even rangers were called to stop the poor from complaining. The officials claim that the 30-odd katchi abadis of Islamabad are illegal settlements that have emerged due to encroachments on private and public land, and these abadis harbor criminals and terrorists. Well criminals and terrorists have been found living in huge compounds too but it’s evidently not fair to close down the entire colony for it. The police should of course be used to address such issues. About the legality of these slums, several constitutional provisions, laws, and policies deal with them, including provincial katchi abadi acts, the National Housing Policy and the National Katchi Abadi Policy of 2001. According to these documents katchi abadis are ‘informal settlements comprising more than 40 houses’, which can be registered and regularized, based on when they were built. The preferred official policy is to improve the slums where they are, but if any slum is to be removed for a particular reason, that can only be done after working out a detailed resettlement plan in consultation with the residents.

In 2006 CDA did propose a plan of developing a colony with three story buildings in the apparent legalized slums including French colony but due to financial restraints and some resistance from the colony people it was never implemented.

The right to housing or shelter is recognized universally as one of the basic human rights. Article 25 of the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights proclaims and renders it mandatory for the member countries that they should provide their citizens with adequate housing.

More importantly, the Constitution of Pakistan has also incorporated clauses dealing with the right to shelter and adequate housing to its citizens in line with the International commitments. Article 38 (D) makes the state responsible for providing basic necessities of life to the citizens such as food, clothing, housing, education and health irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race.

The CDA’s current plan to bulldoze the slums, load the residents into trucks and take them ‘back’ to their places of origin sounds despicable, illegal and morally inexcusable. Mass evictions are a remarkably old school policy when compared to current international standards and practices for dealing with urban slums. Present-day recommendations from international organizations, from the World Bank to the ADB and UN-HABITAT, strongly reject forced expulsion and discourage resettlement especially when it is done without the consent of slum dwellers.

In order to efficiently tackle the issues behind informal settlements and the necessity of providing such workers with a place to live, government must avoid forced eviction and instead plan a combination of regularization and slum upgrading, participatory resettlement and public housing projects. CDA should competently allocate a budget for the development of the recognized slums. If it has a reason to remove the “illegal slums , then it is the state’s responsibility to provide them with housing schemes on a minimal amount, preferably apartments saving the space, providing them with proper sanitation system, places of entertainment, health units etc.  

published in dailytimes on June 22, 2014

Too young to tie the knot - ending child marriages

“I wanted to study further but my family could not afford the cost of medicines for father, let alone cover expenses of my education. We were six sisters and one brother. My father wanted to arrange marriages of all of his daughters while he was alive. It would have lessened the burden on the family to feed so many mouths. Furthermore, it would have saved the family from dishonor lest any girl developed any affairs. So he arranged my marriage in a hurry without enquiring about the groom. All he knew was that the man I was going to marry worked in an automobile shop which turned out to be a lie. I did not know what “marriage” meant. I had just attended some marriage ceremonies and knew that the bride wears beautiful clothes and everybody congratulates her and prays for her happiness and she gets lots of gifts. I wanted all that but I never knew what happens when the guests leave the house.” says 13 years old Shahana belonging to a small village in district Bhakkar of Punjab who was studying in 8th class when she was forced to marry because her father had diabetes and heart problems and he couldn’t afford raising his children. She faced dreadful violence at home, gave birth to two girls and there was no one earning in the house.

In Pakistan, marriage at an early age is a reality for many young girls. According to UNICEF from 1987-2005, child marriage amounted for 32% of all marriages in Pakistan. Parents get their daughters married at an early age due to cultural, social and financial reasons. Early marriage often leads to early conception and high risk pregnancy. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2006-07) mentions in its section on teenage fertility that almost half of the girls of 15 to 18 years of age were already pregnant or had a baby to take care of. It gives us pretty clear picture of how many children get married before reaching the age of 18 years. The high prevalence of child marriages is also supported by a study on domestic violence conducted by Rutgers WPF – 60% of women covered under the study were married before the age of 18.

“I don’t know what childhood is as I had to take responsibilities like a mature woman at the age of 11. Now I want my children to enjoy each and every moment of their childhood”, said Irum Naz who was married to 61 years old man when she was just 11 years old. She has three children to take care of and an ailing husband who needs spinal cord surgery. She is illiterate, and is unable to cope with the demands of such life. She curses her parents for taking the decision of marrying her at such a tender age. [Farzana Ali Khan for Asian Human Rights Commission]

Parents who decide to marry off their daughters when they are children do so for many reasons. Those living in poverty may feel they have little option but to accept the bride price offered for their young daughter’s hand. Parents facing conflict and insecurity may feel that marrying off their daughter will ensure her safety. And some families may choose child marriage just because that is the way things have been for generations. Just recently 10 years old Tehmina who belonged to Bhanger caste was married through Watta Satta. In exchange her parents received Rs.80, 000 and ownership (paitlikhi) of her first born female child, as customs define. After being subjected to severe forms of domestic violence, she was given a divorce and sent back to her parents. Once again, her mother is looking to sell her off to the highest bidder in order to benefit from her.

Child marriage is one of the most prevalent forms of violence against women. It leads to estrangement from the family at a very young age. It repress individual freedom and curtails the right to pursue health activities, right to education and can also result in bonded labour, slavery, sexual exploitation and domestic violence. It has been documented to be an impediment to social development for young girls. The strain on the physical health of a child bride puts heavy biological stress for a set of activities that their bodies are unable to cope with. In addition to early child marriage, mostly girls are also expected to cater to the domestic chores, that includes many times physical support in agricultural field work, while her body is already trying to cope with multiple past pregnancies. Besides physical effects, there are serious emotional effects that young girls have to deal with. An adolescent girl is many times not encouraged to meet her parents ending up feeling estranged in her new surroundings. Early marriages not only constrict the physical health of the girls but also of their children. Due to early marriages, the mother is not ready to assume the responsible and well planned love function that motherhood entails. The care and supervision of children is ignored because a young mother is not mature enough to carry out the responsibilities that are required by her children, as she herself is a child.

Pakistan is signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) which mentions the right to protection from child marriages, furthermore, child or early marriage refers to any marriage of a child younger than 18 years old, according to Article 1 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Pakistan signed in 1990. Of course there has not been any awareness about these laws, especially in the rural areas of Pakistan where many people think that if a girl is not married soon after puberty, then she becomes a threat to the family’s honor.

In Pakistan the issue of early marriages remains un-addressed and no measures are taken by the state to arrest this trend. Though some patchy efforts were made by the civil society and UN organizations, but they were not enough even to make it a main stream issue of children particularly girls. Though we have a law “Child Marriages Restraint Act 1929” to discourage child marriages, but the law, as is obvious from the title, was enacted 82 years ago during British Raj, and has not been modified since then. It discriminates between boys and girls as it sets the marriageable age for boys at 18 years, while that for girls at 16 years. The punishment for violating this law is a fine of Rs 1000 or one month imprisonment. Furthermore, if a marriage involving young children takes place, the adults who agreed to the marriage and arranged it are punished, but the marriage does not stand dissolved. As usual, the implementation of this law is non-existent.

A few days ago, the Sindh Assembly set a precedent by passing a law declaring marriage below the age of 18 years punishable by law and a violation of the rights of children, becoming the first province to do so but there is still a dire need of proper rules set up, a meaningful awareness campaign in the province especially among the police, marriage registrars and judiciary. It is very important for the state to take corrective measures. We are hoping that all the other provinces would also take this important step of passing the law. The monitoring and implementation of the law should be mandatory, while the law should be publicized properly so that everyone in the country knows about it.

Published in dailytimes on June 5, 2014

Lady Health Worker - a vital human resource

It’s a moment of pride for Pakistan and democracy as our frontline spirited Lady Health Workers (LHWs) after a struggle of 18 years by standing up for their rights have their jobs finally regularized by all provinces. Benazir Bhutto Shaheed started the lady health worker’s program when she was the prime minister in 1994 and since then, these courageous women have been working yet protesting throughout for their rights. Heroes including (LHWs), Community Midwives (CMWs) and Vaccinators have been of great help to Pakistan in the fight to prevent child and maternal mortality in the country and because of them we can be able to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 & 5. MDG 4 is about two third reductions in child mortality and MDG 5 is about three quarters reduction in maternal mortality ratio by 2015. Pakistan has lacked behind in the advancement towards achieving MDGs and sadly it has remained a challenge because here, according to a report by Save the Children 352,400 children under-5 die of preventable causes every year. The national under 5 mortality rate is 87 per 1000 live births and the maternal mortality rate is at an alarming 276 deaths per one 100,000 live births.

Regularizing the jobs of existing Lady Health Workers is an enormous step but the matter does not get solved here. There is a dire need to expand their numbers as currently they are 97,639 LHWs and 3,843 Lady Health Supervisors (LHSs) in the country covering only 60% of the population against the proposed target to increase this number to 130,000 by 2015 with a focus on expansion to marginalize and disadvantageous uncovered areas. The PPP’s government has the expansion of LHWs as a part of their party manifesto but till the 7th NFC Award (FY-2015) Lady Health Workers have been allocated Federal Government’s full funding for their salaries as already decided by the Council of Common Interests. After fiscal year 2015, it would become the responsibility of provincial governments to take the expense of their respective provinces due to the 18th Amendment. This has implicated the expansion by bringing a standstill situation to the program owing to lack of funds for meeting the operational cost of existing LHWs and barring the expansion. Likewise, any new creation of posts/appointments or future need will be financed by the provinces from their own budget/resources. This condition resulted in decrease in the number of LHWs instead of increasing their number i.e. in Punjab the number of LHWs decreased from 49,000 to 47,300 and similarly in other provinces.

The LHWs and vaccinators are not only playing a leading role in preventing thousands of preventable child deaths but are also our frontline force against the ongoing fight in the country for the eradication of polio. Unfortunately however, in the recent past we not only witnessed targeting of the LHWs and vaccinators by the terrorists but also a cold shoulder by the government towards resolving their issues. Some Civil Society Organizations like Save the Children have encouraged LHWs by arranging award ceremonies for them for the past two years.

Now that pre-budget meetings are happening, it is a reminder to the federal and provincial governments to allocate a portion of the budget for immunization, lady health workers and nutrition programs. This program has been a successful model replicated in different countries of the world and if gripped efficiently by Pakistan, we would be able to achieve MDGs 4&5. If these LHWs are provided with salaries by provincial government but they have no equipment, it would just be a waste of money and time. It is important to ensure that they are provided with the required stock of medicines and equipment, their terms of reference are reviewed and routine immunization is formally incorporated; they are trained to be able to provide mothers with skilled support to improve child feeding practices, including breastfeeding and to contribute in maternal and newborn care. The monitoring mechanisms should be strengthened as well to ensure effective utilization of this vital human resource. Similarly, the provincial governments should also take responsibility and start allocating resources for increase in the number of LHWs, CMWs and vaccinators in the respective provinces to be able to reach out to 100% population and achieve mother and child health related targets. Government is urged to fulfill their duty in providing security to these courageous women working day and night for the betterment of society.

Published in dailytimes on May 24th, 2014

Pakistan's Hidden Hunger

Pakistan is facing a silent crisis of malnutrition that is amongst the worst in the world and has not improved for decades. According to 2011 National Nutrition Survey, more than 1.5 million children in Pakistan are currently suffering from acute malnutrition, making them susceptible to infectious diseases which may even lead to death. This needs to be urgently addressed in order to safeguard the country’s future development and prosperity. Keeping the fact in mind, that nearly half of Pakistan’s children are chronically malnourished undermining their own mental and physical growth as well as the country’s prospects, the respective provincial governments must urgently recognize and respond to this challenge.

Without this situation changing, Pakistan risks suffering from a ‘demographic nightmare’ of a growing unskilled, economically unproductive population, rather than the ‘demographic dividend’ which has powered its neighbours ‘growing prosperity.  The situation of Pakistan is currently worse than that in much of sub-Saharan Africa.  This is a life and death crisis for many but also causes impaired development with long-life effects.

According to IPPBNU report, the current malnutrition crisis in Pakistan has been estimated to cost the economy 3% of GDP per year. To put this in perspective, the energy crisis is estimated to cost 2% of GDP. This is due to the estimated impact of malnutrition on learning, earning and health.

International examples show that improved nutrition improves growth.  Pakistan cannot sustain this drain on economy, risking the country to be left behind in the global economy if it fails to act soon.

If Pakistan implements even the health sector interventions to address malnutrition, rates of stunting (chronic malnutrition) could be cut by one third, but other sectors such as social protection, water and sanitation, agriculture and education also need to play their part, and to see this challenge as core to their role. This requires commitment from leadership to plan and implement multi-sectoral interventions. Policy makers must give priority to evidence-based and high-impact nutrition interventions as they have not yet been implemented at scale in Pakistan.

The increasing production of wheat is not enough as malnutrition rates are still static. Households and individuals need to have access to enough quantity and quality of food, and need to be free from diseases to avoid malnutrition. This is why many sectors, stakeholders must be involved in tackling malnutrition, and this needs a high level, sustained leadership.

As iron and iodine deficiency in childhood reduce ones IQ, children who are malnourished learn less at school and earn less when they grow up. It also makes the children prone to acquiring communicable diseases like measles ending up with complications. Malnutrition reduces the effectiveness of certain vaccinations.  Addressing malnutrition is one of the best investments Pakistan can make in its future. Government must prioritise the evidence-based policies and programs, which can address this crisis. If prioritised, malnutrition can be ended in a generation in Pakistan.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/23-May-2014/pakistan-s-hidden-hunger

"Burning Peace..."

On 14th February 2014, A private channel Dunya News aired a program called “Kyoun” which was hosted by Mr.Arshad Shareef. The topic of the program was the agenda of International Secret Agencies behind funding International Non-Profit Organizations working in Pakistan. Now the topic sounds really interesting especially to those who cannot imagine that a country would give so much money just to actually help people. There were guests invited from different International NGOs, one of them being The Art of Living (AOL). I dont represent AOL but I have attended many courses of them and have worked with them for a few months also. My office was based in the peace center of The Art of Living, an amazing house in Banigala where the moment you enter you get calm and relaxed. You can hear beautiful sound of wind chimes, a gorgeous lake to view and everyone extremely nice to you.  It is open to all, with programs promoting good mental and physical health. The inclusiveness extends to create a blossoming of consciousness,well-being and good health through simple breathing techniques, yoga and positive thinking. They also encourage people to take responsibility for society and get involved in serving those in need. AOL has played an active role during the 2005 earthquake and many other community projects.

Coming back to the TV show, Anchor showed some pictures of people doing yoga and he passed some harsh comments on them and sounded very angry especially on a picture in which a number of AOL members were in a yoga position called “child pose”. Child pose looks like the picture below as I couldn’t find the picture the anchor displayed. This is a simple relaxation position in yoga as they say it’s a child’s resting position. I wonder why he was so angry about this position.

While showing a picture of AOL representative with the founder of Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, The anchor asked another very famous guest Mr. Ansar Abbasi invited on the show, if the smiles that Sri Sri brings on people’s faces weren't a threat to our national security and if RAW was behind it. Sri Sri is an enlightened person who has established AOL centers in more than 150 countries and has millions of members all over the world. He aims to spread peace in the world and has designed all the courses of Art of Living himself. He was also nominated for Nobel Peace Award.

I wonder when, SMILING became a threat to a country’s national security. It’s possible that some secret agencies might be funding NGOs for their own interest but it would be a speculation not a fact until there is any evidence.

Knowing the increasing amount of radicalization and terrorism, knowing the effects of such accusations resulting in destroying families, the anchor gave these opinions without any evidence. 

From what my understanding about Art of Living Foundation is, they don’t take funds from any organization. They have a fee for yoga and breathing courses and that fee is used for community service projects. Most of their employees are volunteers while those who are paid are from the teacher’s own pocket.  Art of living has 8000 members in Pakistan including people in veils, hijabs, T-shirts,burqas, beards, clean shaved etc.

 

On 8^th March,2014 a group of eight people entered the Art of Living Center, tied the only two guards that were present in the center, took their mobiles and hit them on their heads. The innocent, hardworking Pashtoon guards who have enough problems in life already were traumatized. Those 8 men put three rooms on fire and had put fuel on another room when the neighbors saw the fire and ran towards their favorite neighbor’s house. Luckily those 8 cowards quickly left the centre in their cars, one being white corolla as seen by one of the neighbors. I hope that the culprits are found and arrested for this heinous crime.

This center is owned by Ms. Shahnaz Minallah, a beautiful spirit who has given ten years of her life to this place making it more beautiful day by day. Her bedroom was burnt to ashes. 

Fortunately, she lives in simplicity so her bedroom didn’t have a bed or a table or a nice lamp but just a pillow, some paintings and lots of books. She sleeps on the floor. Shahnaz Minallah comes from a long line of Sufi Saints from the “KakaKhel” tribe resulting in her, having a deep spiritual nature.

After the incident, I and many others pointed fingers at the mentioned TV show for inciting this violence through hate speech. I blamed it because i know that anybody who has met Shahnaz cannot harm her because she hasn’t hurt anyone. I blamed the show because they accused an INGO without any kind of verification, to be funded by an Indian secret agency known to everyone in Pakistan. 

My request to Mr. Arshad: Sir, I have nothing against you as I know that somewhere you definitely have humanity in your nature too. For the sake of humanity, kindly accuse someone after you have evidence against it as radicals end up burning private properties or even worse. Those two guards did not deserve to be traumatized and hit in the head. Shahnaz didn’t deserve to lose her years of efforts but the radicals don’t understand it. Same topic could be covered responsibly. You can ask as many questions as you want but as a journalist you are not supposed to give your own opinions on TV. You are free to work on your research against the Art of Living Foundation, in fact I suggest you should take one of their courses too. It helped me get rid of insomnia and also anxiety. I stopped biting my nails, many people I know quit smoking and many turning out to be really positive people. Stay Blessed J

CELEBRATING CULTURAL HERITAGE TO BUILD PEACE

“Everyone has a fundamental human right to practice the distinctive way of life of their tradition, and to share in the joys of the cultural life of their community.” This is the meaning of Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

We are in a time of increased religious, ethnic and intercultural conflict.  Unfortunately, Pakistan’s history has been completely adjusted according to how different dictators wanted it, traditions have been hijacked by religious extremists and radical mindset which came out as a result of the hate speech taught in schools mostly, musicians have been ignored, killed or transformed into clerics and people cannot openly talk about their beliefs for there can be consequences.  Our language itself has also been purposely changed. In the largest province of Pakistan, the name of the country is now written in Arabic language from Pakistan to Albakistan. So basically the integral parts of a society's identity are hardly seen anywhere. 

 Since coming back to Pakistan and taking responsibilities as a Patron in Chief to Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has surprised a number of people whether his supporters or from other parties or even those who are apolitical with his anti terrorist statements and his interaction with the people through social media, furthering the vision of constructing the foundations for peace in today’s severely affected Pakistan by terrorism.  One particularly innovative approach to peace is the Sindh Festival 2013, a manifestation of Bilawal Bhutto’s belief in the power and importance of cultural heritage in fostering mutual understanding among peoples and societies. Creative expressions have the power to open people's hearts to one another and make our shared humanity quiet obvious.  When a conflict is over and people begin to rebuild their society, the cultural heritage serves as an important link with the past and a critical element in re-establishing their identify. The Sindh Festival was a reminder to the people of Pakistan that our cultural property monument, monasteries, archives, historic sites are in a vulnerable situation.  They may be damaged or destroyed not only by accident but by direct targeting.

Being an attendant of the Sindh Festival from Islamabad, belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I admit that I knew very less about Sindh until the festival and I have started following the news of that area more closely being happy for their success and feeling pain of them as my own. It is something to take pride in that the festival got a worldwide interest. If you have friends living in another country, you will never want to support the idea of going to war with them. People-to-people ties can act as a brake at a time when political tensions build up. Cultural exchange of this sort also counteracts cultural and national prejudices, creating the awareness that no one culture is superior or inferior to another.

Looking at a number of Sindhi Ajrak printed kites in the air with joy on each person’s face on Beach Basant, listening to Mohan Bhagat’s extraordinary folk music on Sufi Night, watching a laborer winning Donkey Derby, women who had come from Sukkar, Tarparker etc selling their handmade goods in festival city with nonstop Sindhi folk music playing in the background, the enthusiasm in the youth for cricket mela, the Voice of Pakistan bus surrounded by general public being seen in different areas of Sindh, ajraks worn in a contemporary way in Fashion Festival, the movies being played in Film Festival and of course seeing Mohenjodaro full of life provided us, a boost in our self esteem and identity. It is highly appreciable that with high security risk and security guards not being able to leave the 25 year old Bilawal Bhuto for a second, he still managed to attend almost every event with the joy of the crowd Bakhtawar Bhutto. They both were interacting throughout with the general public presenting a people’s friendly party. 

Understanding and appreciation of one another's cultures help us live together and build a more inclusive society based on common civic values.  Encouraging cultural diversity can, paradoxically, help us to find the common ground for living together in the same nation.  When people are secure in their right to live their lives according to their cultural values, they are better able to enter relations of dialogue and co-operation with their fellow citizens.  All the provinces of Pakistan must have such cultural events attended by people from different areas. It is our responsibility to know and understand more of the cultures that make up Pakistan - the history, values, languages, and symbols of the people who make up this nation.

Apni Saqafat Pe Naaz Karo

Mai Bhani from Sukkar makes Parandas, does Kundi ka kaam and tokoo ka kaam with her daughters and daughter in laws. She then sells them in her own village. She got very excited when she was informed about Sindh Festival by SRSO.
"Bilawal is like my son.. His mother visited us and was every Sindhi woman's sister. We are very happy that he has given us an opportunity to participate in Sindh Festival and sell our things on a larger platform" 
Mai Bhani wants her work to be encouraged. She said her work was really appreciated in her village but in Karachi not many people had visited her yet. Her dream was to be see many girls of Karachi in Parandas. 
"Sindh Festival's team provided us with free travel, food and stall and we are showcasing our own handmade things but we want more people to come and buy things from us" 

40 year old Akbar from Tharparkar has been working on special thar work and khark since 1990 in his village..
"we were informed by ministry of culture and we prepared our kurtas and table cloths etc of khark work and Thar work specially for Sindh Festival"
Akbar also hoped for more people to appreciate his work as his family back in the village is anxiously waiting for success stories on his return.


Sindh Festival seeks to promote our colorful culture by giving opportunities to the people to showcase their work in the Qasim Park "Festival City"- Karachi. People have come from their villages expecting their products to be sold. The entry to festival city is free for all families. For the love of our rich culture, we must visit and shop from people like Mai Bhani and Akbar as it would encourage them to continue making beautiful cultural things and would keep us close to our roots as well.

The