Multan, the city of saints, recently had the looks of some occupied territory or at least a city under freshly-imposed emergency, with road blockades, police patrolling and snap checking becoming the order of the day. The clamour of sirens destroyed whatever peace was still left in the city. The reason? The Pakistan Super League (PSL) was in town.
Owing to security concerns, all roads were blocked, educational institutions were shut down, and business activities were partially crippled by the relevant authorities. It is hard to think of a worse time to hold such an activity.
The country is in the middle of a crisis that has many a crises woven into it. The worst hit were the daily-wagers who could not carry on their work owing to security restrictions that only caused nuisance and frustration in these challenging times.
It would not be out of place to mention that Multan happens to be the most prominent hub of healthcare facilities in southern Punjab as all major hospitals of the region are located in the city. People from across the region come to Multan seeking medical treatment. All hospitals located in the ‘affected’ areas during the PSL remained out of reach for those poor souls as the roads leading to such healthcare facilities had been shut down.
All this reflected poor management and strange priorities, for we organised a sports activity at the cost of people’s welfare and even their lives. Where are we headed?
It would have been prudent had the relevant authorities made proper plan to avoid all the mess that disrupted life inside out in the city. We can only hope and pray that the relevant authorities will take into consideration all these issues while planning their next ‘mega event’.
SAIF UR REHMAN
LAHORE
