The recent rains in Karachi have exposed the little work Sindh Government has done for Karachi in the last decade. Boasting on Twitter, other social media profiles have become the norm for politicians and civil servants alike.
With gutters overflowing, roads jammed, and Karachiites panicking, the feel of the pace was picked up by a Pakistani Twitter account. Consequently, the account which almost everybody initially thought belonged to the Commissioner Karachi, turned out to be a parody account, but not without a cause. The parody account looked so genuine that nobody could tell them apart.
A decent following, the standard Pakistan Administrative Service bio and the Commissioner’s picture, many were bound to get fooled. Whoever came up with this sly yet smart idea did the unthinkable. This is what the initial viral tweet from the Commissioner Karachi parody account said.
‘My Govt is corrupt’ says Commissioner Khi parody account
Countless lives have been lost to flooding in Karachi. Many injured, stuck under debris.
My government is corrupt, and inefficient. The only way forward right now is via donating to Edhi, Al-Khidmat, Chippa, and any other on-the-ground relief organizations you can get a hold of.
— – (@maulana_banana) August 25, 2020
“Countless lives have been lost to flooding in Karachi. Many injured, stuck under debris. My government is corrupt and inefficient. The only way forward right now is via donating to Edhi, Al-Khidmat, Chippa, and any other on-the-ground relief organizations you can get a hold of.”
The bit where the account said ‘my government is corrupt and inefficient’ was where the parody account hit district administration hard. This was followed by a thread of tweets, which shed light on what Karachi was going through and who was helping.
The sole reason for this stunt was to draw attention to the severe crises relief organizations are finding themselves in. They have neither the equipment, nor the resources to save all those injured and affected by this horrifying tragedy.
Their best hope is to mitigate damage.
— – (@maulana_banana) August 25, 2020
“The sole reason for this stunt was to draw attention to the severe crises relief organizations are finding themselves in. They have neither the equipment nor the resources to save all those injured and affected by this horrifying tragedy. Their best hope is to mitigate damage.”
‘Donate to welfare organizations helping Karachi’
For which they will need a very hefty surge in donations.
Please, give freely to the best of your abilities :https://t.co/QAqDzndvTyhttps://t.co/L2bV6kATbphttps://t.co/QIZyNhAd5dhttps://t.co/L5qnoX9Hrkhttps://t.co/oj4TfseV64
— – (@maulana_banana) August 25, 2020
In the third tweet, the agenda of the parody account of Karachi’s Commissioner was finally revealed. Since only welfare organizations have been working on the ground, the stunt highlighted their importance and asked people to donate to them.
On one hand, the Sindh Govt and Mayor Karachi sit in a corner with their hands tied. On the contrary, in the other, welfare organizations like Edhi and Al-Khidmat have been working tirelessly to elevate living standards in these tough times.
(My sum total information about relief work and donations comes from on the ground volunteers who have been working non-stop for the better part of the last 2 days to help evacuate, re-home and provide medical care to those affected. Feel free to correct me or add resources).
— – (@maulana_banana) August 25, 2020
(They encourage donating to already existing relief and emergency aid organizations as those have the urgent network and aid to put a plan in motion. Please also consider donating to families you know and reaching out to local NGOs and centres).
— – (@maulana_banana) August 25, 2020
We have become desensitized to watching videos of karachi flooding, and are failing to realize how unprecedented the extent of this damage is. The number of population affected is massive. Many families have lost e v e r y t h i n g they owned. Many homeless in just one day.
— – (@maulana_banana) August 25, 2020
Moreover, in this regard, Commissioner Khi’s parody account hit the nail on its head. We have become so numb to watching people’s lives being destroyed that it has stopped striking a nerve.
However, whatever the case is, the Sindh Govt run by MQM and PPP for years has done nothing for Karachi. In addition, the constant boasting and bragging on social media have also irked people. Subsequently, all hope lies in the Pakistani army for rescue operations.
