Well done Maryam Nawaz!

Dr Lubna Zaheer

Thanks to Allah Almighty Eidul Azha passed with peace and tranquillity. Muslims around the globe sacrificed animals for Allah by following Sunnat-e-Ibrahimi. The people of Pakistan also celebrated the religious festival with traditional religious fervour, sacrificing millions of animals according to their financial health.

There are also those servants of Allah who are so blessed by Allah that they sacrifice hundreds of animals every year and distribute bags full of meat to the deserving. It’s a very difficult task to ensure cleanliness during the Eid days as usually streets, neighbourhoods, markets and highways are piled up with animal waste and dirt. Although cleanliness has the status of half faith in Islam, people are guilty of negligence in this regard. Animal wastes are thrown in the street instead of designated places. Sometimes it’s really a difficult task for common citizens to carry and dispose of these goods. The reason is that carrying heavy loads to a certain point is really a difficult task. Distribution of meat and other Eid engagements make this task more difficult. In this situation, the responsibility for sanitation arrangements lies with the provincial governments and related institutions.

In this regard, the Punjab government deserves praise. Good cleaning arrangements were seen in the province during the Eid days. The staff on duty picked up and disposed of the garbage in time. On the three days of Eid, roads, streets, highways etc. were washed with water mixed with rose water. According to the data, more than 1.8 million animals were sacrificed across the province. Disposing of their belongings, washing the bloodstains and eliminating the smell was not an easy task. There are estimates that more than one and a half lakh tons of animal waste, their remains, litter etc were picked up from thousands of places and transferred to specific points. Heavy machinery was used in this regard. It is also a common practice among us that the wastes and remains of animals are thrown into the canals and drains which block the streams and drains. Germs and diseases are born from dirt. This time special monitoring of canals, rivers and drains was arranged. Drone-assisted monitoring has significantly reduced littering in canals.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif issued strict instructions in this regard. Those who know Maryam Nawaz are aware that whatever she decides to do, she dies after completing it. The CM held marathon meetings regarding ensuring public order and cleanliness arrangements before Eid. Even during the Eid holidays, she continued to supervise these two matters. This is the reason why public order matters were under control during the days of Eid and good cleaning arrangements were also seen. The offals were lifted in time and were disposed of. The streets were washed away and were sprinkled with water mixed with rose water.

Friends, including political critics of the PML-N, praised the Punjab government for the cleanliness drive, which was not easy in such an intense heatwave. It is still very difficult to get government and fixed-job employees to work on time. But the truth is that the crew did the job gracefully. CM Maryam congratulated the staff involved in the three-day Eid cleaning campaign for this good performance, delivering them a message that they have created history by making the ‘Clean Punjab’ campaign a success for the people of Punjab.

The provincial chief executive also lauded Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique, municipal bodies, waste management companies, district administration teams and staff and announced one month's salary as a reward for the staff involved in the cleaning campaign. This reward will surely motivate the staff. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also congratulated CM Maryam Nawaz and her team for ensuring good sanitation arrangements. The premier said that the hard work done by the staff in the extreme heat is appreciable. One good thing is that the Chief Minister also issued a strict monitoring order regarding the reduction of transport fares. Public transport fares were also monitored during Eid days. Well done Maryam Nawaz for ensuring measures to facilitate the people. I pray that you [Maryam] will be able to provide relief to the people of Punjab on issues like education, health, public order, and inflation.

The reports of traffic accidents during the joyous days of Eid were very sad as 34 citizens including five police officers died in various accidents. One can imagine what will happen to the family members of those who died in these tragedies on the day of Eid. News also came from Saudi Arabia that more or less 920 pilgrims died due to extreme heat. Among them were 35 Pakistanis. I pray that May Allah Almighty forgive the deceased and give patience to the family. On the days of Eid, very sad news was also received from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where senior journalist and former president of Landi Kotal Press Club, Khalil Afridi was shot dead by people sitting in a waiting area in Khyber Sultan Khel area. We heard that Afridi kept lying in injured condition for two hours. The police did not come to help, nor did any other agency. The journalist community is protesting against this blind murder. It’s the responsibility of the police and security agencies to identify the killers of the slain journalist. But looking at the past record, there is little hope. When are the killers of journalists caught here? One can only pray that the government and the media organisation of the slain journalist get the opportunity to take the responsibility of supporting Khalil Afridi's children.

-- The writer is a professor and analyst specializing in media and communication studies. She can be reached at lubna.zaheer91@gmail.com

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