In pursuit of equality

It is heartening to see that the chief minister of Sindh sanctioned Rs40 million to help transfer Umer Sharif out of the country for his surgery. However, it must be questioned: are there no decent government hospitals or competent physicians in Pakistan who can treat Umar Sharif? If not, developing this capacity for the benefit of all citizens should be the government’s first priority.

One also wonders why the foreign treatment facility is not available to millions of underpaid, exploited and enslaved workers of Sindh. It may be an appropriate moment to remind the chief minister again that the 1,700 Hyderabad Municipal Corporation-contracted janitors are paid merely Rs14,000 per month, and janitors of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) are paid even less. Both have no Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), no Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) registration and certainly no opportunity to be sent abroad for medical treatment. The state must give equal treatment to all citizens.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi