By: Basit Ali
Few days ago, I was constructing my new house. I love hardworking and often associate with masons and labours. Here also two or three laborers and a mason were working for sustenance. Hardworking people are the chosen friends of Allah Almighty. They earn privileges in right way, for their children. They do not take any illegitimate means to achieve their needs nor do they deprive others of their rights. Among them one of the labourers who was living in a world of extreme cosmopolitanism. He lived in a hut-like house and worked hard. He had no other source of income rather than labour. I had the opportunity to talk to this brother in detail.I asked him, “Brother, what did you do and where did you live before?” He said, sir, I lived in a remote village of Bhedi (a village near LOC in District Haveli AJK). To earn a living, I migrated to Bagh city and settled here. I sold my native ancestral land, bought a plot of five marlas here in city BAGH AK and built my own house. He added that he had a wife and four young daughters. His only source of livelihood was labour. We were all living a normal honourable and contented life. Then a evil day came, with a heavy downpour of rain, the flooding in river Mahal was continuously increasing. In view of the danger of flooding, I evacuated the house and took refuge with my wife and children in a nearby house. The morning sun rose with bad news, my little girls, my wife, and I had lost our small shelter. Our lifetime earnings had been flooded (he fell silent). The brother’s sweaty face showed signs of grief and helplessness.Then what did you do after that? I asked breaking the silence.What should I do, Babu ji(sir)? We stayed in his house of a neighbour for two months. After that, it is the fifth year till today, we are living in small rental hut. No government agency helped you. I asked inquisitively.It was Babu ji (sir), the minister of that time, whom I also voted for. He had given a grant of Rs. 30,000. But Babu ji, 30,000 rupees are not sufficient to build a space for bed, how should I build a house?Dozens of houses were swept away by the floods of river Mahal in 2014, causing extensive damage of property. Some of these families were so poor and helpless that they did not had two days privileges. Two governments have been passed and all these families have not received any aid package. These people have taken refuge in the home of other relative, who has been deprived of their homes, and these people are living a life of gypsies and refugees. Is it possible for our rulers to have the slightest concern?In Dherray village (Adjoint village of District Bagh AK) The faction is dominated by the political influential community and figures. These people have been demanding a bridge since 1990. Thirty years has been passed; this demand has not been implemented. There are many such projects which are shown accomplished in papers but, they do not exist. However, the children of the rulers are indulging in the funds that were taken for these projects. God bless foreign NGOs and the Chinese companies who has built some educational institutions, hospital roads. Thanks to the 2005 earthquake and CPEC due to which our infrastructure has been made better to some extent. If we were at the mercy of these rulers in this matter too, we would still be living the life of the Stone Age. The common political leaders come at that time of election to make us fool, they make false promises, and we believe them. Our public should have to show wisdom this time while voting, because it is a matter of the future of our generations.“Who cannot stop the oppressor is included in the oppressionThe one who does not bite the killer is with the killer”