Islamabad’s Invisible Heroes
Asem Mustafa Awan
Islamabad: Islamabad, a city draped in the title of “beautiful,” thrives on the backs of an invisible caste. Pakistani street cleaners, ostracized for the very act that keeps their city clean, toil relentlessly under a brutal sun and life-threatening hazards. These are the forgotten heroes, the backbone of sanitation, treated with abject disregard.
They work from dawn to dusk amidst sewage, dodging speeding cars, and inhaling noxious fumes. This is the daily reality for Islamabad’s cleaners. Many have succumbed to these hazardous conditions, paying the ultimate price for the city’s hygiene. Their sacrifice is met with silence, their deaths a mere footnote.
These cleaners, often from marginalized Christian communities, live in fear. Religious intolerance has stifled their voices, preventing them from demanding the dignity and basic rights they deserve. Promises of regular employment and timely payments are callously broken, with crooked contractors lining their pockets while the cleaners themselves drown in debt.
The cleaners’ homes, nestled near sewage streams – a testament to their dedication to a city that sees them as disposable – are covered by ‘higher ups’ for profit-driven schemes. Basic necessities like clean water, electricity, and gas are a privilege, not a right, in the eyes of these policymakers. These cleaners, ironically dubbed the “unclean” by the elite, are denied the very fundamentals of a decent life.
This is not just a story; it’s a call to action. This injustice should end right here and right now. Let’s shine a light on the plight of Islamabad’s street cleaners. Let their silenced voices resonate through the corridors of power.
Demand accountability from those who turn a blind eye. Demand fair wages, safe working conditions, and access to basic necessities for these essential workers. Let there be change in narrative: from “unclean cleaners” to respected sanitation heroes, valued for their contribution to a truly beautiful Islamabad.
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.
Photo Credit: Tanveer Shahzad
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