There are only two columnists in Pakistan whom I respect from deep inside of my heart and sometime I practically include their names in my prayers. They, since I started properly reading newspapers late 60s have written voluminous which as usual felt on deaf ears for whom those were pen down but at least in this "munafiq" society generally we live in both had the courage and a real ALLAH's fear that they always speak what was right in their conscious. And these respected are Honourable Mr. Irshad Ahmad Haqqani and Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee. With later one sometime I little differ when he writes in his own style about Islamic values and about our army. Ardeshir Cowasjee has an advantage over the other viz that even in his this old age and despite tremendous dangers he not only keeps writing about land mafia but at his own cost keeps with a little group of his alike the Courts moving.
In his column on 22 February 2009 while reserving on third of his column space for references of amenity plots and places under mafia occupation through different sweet schemes, he wonders if the "silent majority" will become ashamed of its own apathy and act (of silence).
He has many a times earlier cried over masses apathy but he never told as to how today's helpless ordinary man can move. Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee has resources of all sorts. ALLAH may give him more. What an ordinary man has? He should at least guide the common man whom he shames. In his above titled column he also enlists " Mehran Town " under mafia encroachment. This is a housing scheme established by the Karachi Development Authority in 1973 in Korangi exclusively for Overseas Pakistanis (OPs). KDA as it claims developed the land which developed was washed away by 1978 floods in Karachi. Since 1978 lots of floods/heavy rains came in Karachi, many new roads, new bridges, complexes were made, got damaged in these rains, repaired and again got destroyed but Mehran Town's fate has only one reply from the KDA namely the "1978 flood destroyed it". This senior citizen can not remember that during the last more than 10 years how many dozens and at what places like each new President, each new PM, each new Minister, Public Account Committee, NAB, Senators, Sindh Ombudsman etc he wrote on huge expense and time. To my all these addresses I pleaded one specific issue that an independent committee be constituted comprising Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee, Ms. Yasmee Lari etc which may on my expense visit the site, take random soil samples, get these laboratory tested to determine if its digestion system had practically digested all what KDA financial files show having been consumed by this soil from 1975 to date. No body ever even acknowledged me. With the defunct Ehtisab Bureau some other Overseas Pakistani filed a complaint on Mehran Town as I read in the newspapers but later that complain file disappeared.
The scheme since long under the active patronage of KDA, area police, Revenue Department is being encroached upon. Even duplicate allotments deliberately were issued by the Sindh Revenue. Last year news appeared that KDA were again issuing duplicate allotments. Concerned circles have long raised the voice that since this scheme today was not worth inhabitation for the human being it be declared a cottage industrial area. With induction of new government last year both the Overseas Pakistanis Weekly Bladi of serious Daily Jang and daily The News International a few months back published features with photographs saying today anyone without any fear but with a party flag can sit on any plot in the scheme. Since appearing of this press report even in this old age with my only single eye having 25% reading visibility only I address by name HE the President and many others drawing their attention to these encroachments as reported by the press but never got any response. Only HE the Prime Minister Office responded asking to Chief Minister Sindh to look into and report back but for obvious reason but to no surprise to this senior citizen, the CM Sindh Secretariat sat on the egg. On the web online complaints Sindh Governor and Sindh Chief Minister I raised the issue with no acknowledgement at all. Even last year I addressed the much praised by Mr. Ardeshir The Sheri which also did not respond.
Recently I addressed a complaint to the Sindh Ombudsman complaining that the concerned Sindh Government Departments had not responded my complaints which is an act of mal administration. Though it has been observed the Sindh Ombudsman for the last 3-4 years did not care generally giving response but fortunately by chance a new Director General took note of and responded me with a line that a three page report on the matter was already mailed to me and that he was mailing me the "proof of dispatch of that". Since then through my unaccountable emails I have informed this kind new DG that neither the 3 page report nor the proof of its dispatched "having been mailed" has so far reached me requesting him a re-copy of that "proof of dispatch" so that in light of that I may take up the matter with postal authorities but no response is coming.
In these circumstances will the noble Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee advise what further course of action is left for this old man and hundreds of other affected OPs who almost all today are senior citizens. Many having died. How important is this issue can be judged from the only fact that about 10 years back the senior intellectual Mr. Irshahad Ahmed Haqqani who takes up serious national issues only under the title "I can not remain silent on in this injustice" wrote two weekly successive columns for the ill fate affecttee OPs. On appearing of his first column same evening the then Federal Secretary Information met Haqqani at his residence assuring him that the government will take note of, also requested Haqqani not to use his pen any more on this ill fated housing scheme. For the information of Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee since then we had not entered into the list of top honoured nations, had not earned 12 billion reserves and had not inducted in abundance the good governance in our government departments hence the then Secretary did read the article and at least tried to console. Today we are honoured nations and living in peoples democracy hence if my address to today's even Minister of Information has not brought any acknowledgement is not a surprise at least to this old man.
In his column on 22 February 2009 while reserving on third of his column space for references of amenity plots and places under mafia occupation through different sweet schemes, he wonders if the "silent majority" will become ashamed of its own apathy and act (of silence).
He has many a times earlier cried over masses apathy but he never told as to how today's helpless ordinary man can move. Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee has resources of all sorts. ALLAH may give him more. What an ordinary man has? He should at least guide the common man whom he shames. In his above titled column he also enlists " Mehran Town " under mafia encroachment. This is a housing scheme established by the Karachi Development Authority in 1973 in Korangi exclusively for Overseas Pakistanis (OPs). KDA as it claims developed the land which developed was washed away by 1978 floods in Karachi. Since 1978 lots of floods/heavy rains came in Karachi, many new roads, new bridges, complexes were made, got damaged in these rains, repaired and again got destroyed but Mehran Town's fate has only one reply from the KDA namely the "1978 flood destroyed it". This senior citizen can not remember that during the last more than 10 years how many dozens and at what places like each new President, each new PM, each new Minister, Public Account Committee, NAB, Senators, Sindh Ombudsman etc he wrote on huge expense and time. To my all these addresses I pleaded one specific issue that an independent committee be constituted comprising Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee, Ms. Yasmee Lari etc which may on my expense visit the site, take random soil samples, get these laboratory tested to determine if its digestion system had practically digested all what KDA financial files show having been consumed by this soil from 1975 to date. No body ever even acknowledged me. With the defunct Ehtisab Bureau some other Overseas Pakistani filed a complaint on Mehran Town as I read in the newspapers but later that complain file disappeared.
The scheme since long under the active patronage of KDA, area police, Revenue Department is being encroached upon. Even duplicate allotments deliberately were issued by the Sindh Revenue. Last year news appeared that KDA were again issuing duplicate allotments. Concerned circles have long raised the voice that since this scheme today was not worth inhabitation for the human being it be declared a cottage industrial area. With induction of new government last year both the Overseas Pakistanis Weekly Bladi of serious Daily Jang and daily The News International a few months back published features with photographs saying today anyone without any fear but with a party flag can sit on any plot in the scheme. Since appearing of this press report even in this old age with my only single eye having 25% reading visibility only I address by name HE the President and many others drawing their attention to these encroachments as reported by the press but never got any response. Only HE the Prime Minister Office responded asking to Chief Minister Sindh to look into and report back but for obvious reason but to no surprise to this senior citizen, the CM Sindh Secretariat sat on the egg. On the web online complaints Sindh Governor and Sindh Chief Minister I raised the issue with no acknowledgement at all. Even last year I addressed the much praised by Mr. Ardeshir The Sheri which also did not respond.
Recently I addressed a complaint to the Sindh Ombudsman complaining that the concerned Sindh Government Departments had not responded my complaints which is an act of mal administration. Though it has been observed the Sindh Ombudsman for the last 3-4 years did not care generally giving response but fortunately by chance a new Director General took note of and responded me with a line that a three page report on the matter was already mailed to me and that he was mailing me the "proof of dispatch of that". Since then through my unaccountable emails I have informed this kind new DG that neither the 3 page report nor the proof of its dispatched "having been mailed" has so far reached me requesting him a re-copy of that "proof of dispatch" so that in light of that I may take up the matter with postal authorities but no response is coming.
In these circumstances will the noble Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee advise what further course of action is left for this old man and hundreds of other affected OPs who almost all today are senior citizens. Many having died. How important is this issue can be judged from the only fact that about 10 years back the senior intellectual Mr. Irshahad Ahmed Haqqani who takes up serious national issues only under the title "I can not remain silent on in this injustice" wrote two weekly successive columns for the ill fate affecttee OPs. On appearing of his first column same evening the then Federal Secretary Information met Haqqani at his residence assuring him that the government will take note of, also requested Haqqani not to use his pen any more on this ill fated housing scheme. For the information of Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee since then we had not entered into the list of top honoured nations, had not earned 12 billion reserves and had not inducted in abundance the good governance in our government departments hence the then Secretary did read the article and at least tried to console. Today we are honoured nations and living in peoples democracy hence if my address to today's even Minister of Information has not brought any acknowledgement is not a surprise at least to this old man.
