Karachi and Lahore infernos

By Dr A Q Khan


The famous Persian poet Anvari was beset by problems, one after another. He could not help but complain that whenever a problem descended from heaven, it always found his house. When our beloved country is hit by a calamity, I instantly think of Anvari.

Recently two horrendous fires broke out in factories in Karachi and Lahore and more than 300 innocent men and women were burnt alive-a horrible and painful way to die. If you have ever been burnt by a candle or a match, you will have some inkling of what it must be like. For days afterwards anything touching a burn gives severe pain. These two incidents are not just accidents, but also reflect the total collapse of good governance, and the inefficiency and casual and callous attitude of those in authority. Just as a fish starts to rot from the head, so too has our system has started rotting from the top.

We no longer seem to be merely a failed state, but a dead one too. Barring a few very poor, backward African nations, our country is the worst on the world map. We have become a laughingstock in the comity of nations. As a matter of fact, we have incurred the Almighty’s curse upon us. “Deaf, dumb and blind they are, hence can’t find the right path; deaf, dumb and blind they are, hence can’t see; deaf, dumb and blind they are, hence they can’t understand... We have put a seal on their hearts and on their hearing and on their eyes is a veil. Great is the penalty they incur.” This the Almighty has warned us of a number of times.

Before leaving for Berlin for higher studies in 1961, I was a government Inspector of weights and measures in Karachi for about three years. During that time I visited various markets and inspected shops, petrol pumps, factories, etc., and had a police escort with me. Anyone found violating the laws was prosecuted and petrol pumps, cloth-measuring apparatus and weighing machines were sealed. I gained a pretty good idea on how these factories worked. I had a friend who was government inspector of factories and boilers. He inspired awe and respect in the hearts of factory owners as he could close down their factories.

At that time we operated under the Bombay Weights and Measures Act, 1860. Now we learn from TV footage that factories are governed by the British Indian Act of 1934. What a brilliant performance by our “Aristotle and Socrates” ministries! They were not even able to modify these Acts to cope with modern machinery demands, and give us our very own Acts. The problem is that, in our system, many inefficient and incapable officers get promotions through dubious means. In foreign countries officers are selected on merit and with relevant degrees in their specific fields.

They work in one particular ministry throughout their career and continuously endeavour to improve rules, regulations and performance. Here, unfortunately, some people who are fit to be no more than clerks manage to rise to the top and become masters of our destinies.

The prime responsibility for these infernos lies with the government. The designs of the factories are approved by the government, which is responsible for proper facilities (electricity, water, gas, natural light, passageways, exhausts, emergency exits, fire extinguishing facilities, etc.). Once the factory has been constructed, an inspection officer checks these facilities and issues (or withholds) a completion certificate, thus ensuring that all requirements have been met.

After the erection and installation of the requisite machinery, the inspector of factories and boilers checks to see if everything is done according to the rules and regulations and allows the factory to become operational. Special attention is paid to the safety of the boilers as these can easily explode, which can cause havoc. During subsequent visits he also ensures the safety of the workers and the factory management’s compliance with their rights. Unfortunately, that is in an ideal situation; in practice this does not happen. The system has made officials inefficient and corrupt (as are many SHOs and the police). They ignore their duties, which produces results similar to those we have just witnessed.

All factories should be forced to have failsafe facilities to deal with emergencies, fire-fighting equipment, sufficient and easily accessible emergency exits at ground level, emergency stairs (outside the building) from each floor, etc. Had that been the case here, the number of casualties would have been limited. In foreign countries relevant laws for the safety of workers are stringently enforced and workers are literate enough to voluntarily comply because it is in their own interest. Here there is no such enforcement-only inefficiency and corruption from top to bottom. May Allah Almighty rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant patience and fortitude to the bereaved families to bear their irreparable loss-Ameen.

A good example has been set by my friend, Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, minister of industries and commerce, Sindh. Though not directly responsible for the tragedy in the garment factory, he resigned. The duty of the minister of industries and commerce is to provide facilities to the factories so that they can function properly, enhance their production and earn foreign exchange for the country. In this Rauf Siddiqui has proved himself to be competent and efficient.

Leaving aside these tragedies, let us have a look at what is happening to those affected by the recent floods. We had devastating floods in 2008 resulting in the deaths of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands heads of cattle and destruction of houses, roads and infrastructure. The damage caused was estimated at $20 billion. Nothing was learnt from that calamity and no preventative measures were taken. Now again we see the same scenes-starving people with no roofs over their heads, their livestock dead and their crops destroyed. But Nero happily fiddles on at the hilltop while his courtiers dance to his tunes. How callous they are! How unfeeling! Surely a divine curse.

The Western countries have again displayed their hypocrisy and double standards when it came to the sacrilegious film made about our Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the USA. If anyone makes a film (or caricature) of this nature about someone’s religious prophet it is approved as a principle of freedom of speech, but if someone casts doubts about the occurrence of the (horrendous) holocaust, they are put behind bars. How ironic that the US government has spent billions of dollars over recent years to earn goodwill from Muslim countries all over the world, only to have all their efforts undone by one stupid individual!

Source: Karachi and Lahore Infernos